


What the Heck I Gotta Do to Be with You?

by Rikareena



Category: 21 Chump Street - Miranda, Codename: Kids Next Door
Genre: F/M, GKND, KND, Swearing, drug usage, tnd, what the heck i gotta do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-03 06:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14562930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikareena/pseuds/Rikareena
Summary: Inspired by the short musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, with a Codename Kids Next Door twist!   Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr., an 18 year old honor roll student, is in the last semester of his senior year. But is life is about to be turned upside down by one, Ciara Summers.  All because he's trying to figure out the answer to one question, "What the Heck I Gotta Do to Be with You?!"





	1. What the Heck I Gotta Do? (Enter, Ciara Summers)

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello! This is my first fic on AO3! Like many people on here, I was an avid FF.NET user. I've been posting fics on Tumblr for quite a while, but I wanted to try my hand at the AO3 game.
> 
> This fic has already been completed in its entirety, so I plan to post a new chapter every weekend. But, as a special gift, I'll go ahead and post two chapters for this initial post so you can get a feel for the story.
> 
> This the first multi-chapter fic I've done in quite a while, as I've been drawn to oneshots over the past few years. So, I appreciate any feedback you guys give me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the fic. Thank you!
> 
> And now, without further ado, I present to you my rendition of KND/21 Chump St.

_The plan was called Operation D-Minus; and one of the schools included in the plan was McClintok High School, where a kid named Hoagie P. Gilligan, an 18 year old honor roll student, was in the last semester of his senior year._

 

“PLEASE tell me we weren’t as annoying as Joey and his friends when we were kids!” a blond teen with an Australian accent cried as he pulled at his hair.Wallabee Beetles was relatively short for a teenager, but had a solid build.He wore his trademark orange hoodie that was almost too big for him and some baggy jeans.The boy was on the school wrestling team and was complaining about his little brother Joey, who had hijacked his gear for another one of his friends’ little “fake missions.”Walking alongside him was his best friend, Hoagie P. Gilligan.He was a brunette, taller and a bit leaner than his bestie.He wore a light blue, button up shirt, some brown pants, a brown cap, and had stylish aviator-like shades covering his eyes—well…stylish to him.The two had been a dynamic duo for longer than they could remember.Hoagie rolled his eyes,

 

“Hey, at least your little brother isn’t still hiding in shadows and leaping out at you quoting weird metaphors like some retro crime fighting duck from the 90s,” he said.Wally squinted in confusion.

 

“He’s STILL doin’ that? I thought he would’ve grown out of it by now.”

 

“If only fate was that generous,” Hoagie sighed, as they walked into their first period class of the day: History.

 

“You ready for that test today?”

 

“You have to ask?!”Wally practically shouted.Hoagie sighed.

 

“If I cough once, the answer is A, twice, B, three times C, etc.”

 

“Heh…t-thanks man, I owe ya…”Wally said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

 

“Yeah, you do, but your tab is so long it’s moot at this point so…” Hoagie shrugged as they sat in their respective seats.It was then that their third best friend, Abigail Lincoln, came through the door.Her red cap was pulled down with the bill causing a shadow over her eyes.Her hair fell down her back, hanging loosely; the style differed from the braid she had back when she was a kid.She was donned in a blue and white shirt that cut off just enough to show a sliver of her tummy, black shorts, and white Mary Jane shoes.The African-American honor student was the epitome of ‘cool’ at their school.She and Hoagie considered themselves academic rivals.She smirked as she walked up to the two.

 

“Hey.Wally forget to study again?” she asked, hands on her hips.

 

“…Hm, I don’t know if I’d say he ‘forgot to study,’ more like he remembered to _not_ study.” Hoagie said.Wally scoffed,

 

“Studyin’ is for nerds.Street smarts is all you need.You got that, you can do anything!” he snapped, propping his feet up on his desk.

 

“Right, and what you’re lacking in both, you make up for in your short stature.” Abby smirked, ruffling up his hair before moving to sit behind Hoagie.He snickered before leaning his palm back for her to slap him five.

 

“Nice one!” he said.Wally pouted.

 

“You guys can be really cruel, you know that?” he huffed.The two honor students rolled their eyes before Hoagie propped his elbow on the back of his chair.

 

“You finally game for being inducted into the ‘Doctor Time Space and the Continuum Fandom’ tonight?” he asked.Abby smirked and leaned forward, folding her elbows on her desk.

 

“I may be a cool nerd, but I’m not a geek, fly boy,” she said, lightly tapping his nose.He pouted before giving a cheeky grin.

 

“I’ll win you over one day, Lincoln!You wait and see!You can’t resist the call of the Doctor forever!” he said, turning back around to pull out his books.Their teacher, Mr. Frybingle had just entered the room and made his way to his desk, pulling out his lesson plans for the day.

 

“Alright, alright, settle down you animals,” he said, dodging a couple of paper airplanes that flew past him near the front of the room.Everyone was surprisingly rowdy for a Monday morning, and he hadn’t had his coffee yet.He was way too old for this.The hefty man walked over to the door and closed it before walking up to the white board.

 

“Everyone get out your notebooks and turn to—“ it was then that a knock at the door interrupted him.

 

_Hoagie could hardly believe his luck, when a very pretty girl showed up._

 

The girl was tall, wearing a pink shirt with short sleeves that showed way more of her abdomen than even Abby was comfortable with.She also wore a cut-off jean jacket and baggy jean pants.Her curly hair was piled up in a ponytail high atop her head, with a couple of extra strands elegantly framing her face, and her body was more… _developed_ …then most of the other girls in class.She popped the bubble-gum in her mouth as she looked around the room.The sound caught Hoagie’s attention, and his mouth dropped.The girl walked up to the teacher and handed him a slip of paper.Abby leaned forward,

 

“Geeze, could her top _be_ any shorter?” she asked.When Hoagie didn’t answer, Abby frowned skeptically at the new girl at the front of the room, narrowing her eyes and lowering back down in her seat. 

…That wasn’t the last they saw of her though.

 

She showed up _…in not one, but two of their classes._

 

The next time the trio saw her was in third period: Math.That’s when Hoagie knew, this had to be destiny.Especially since she was in such close proximity to him for both periods.

 

_…she sat in front of him, he switched seats_ to sit next to her _._ Apparently, she was new to the neighborhood.Apparently, her family had moved to town a couple of days ago and this was her first day of school.Apparently, her name was Ciara. 

 

_…the last name she used was, Summers._

 

\---

 

It was during lunch that Hoagie crooned his heart out about his new crush to his friends.Kuki Sanban, a Japanese-American teen with long black hair, was the cheerleader of their group.She was Wally’s crush, and sat next to him when their group took their table in the cafeteria.Okay, to be honest, they were sort of “unofficially” dating, but apparently everyone BUT them were aware. Today, Kuki’s hair was pulled back in a ponytail at the base of her neck; she wore a knee-length black skirt and a green top with a collar that hung just off her shoulders.The top had sleeves flaring out down to her elbows, and the thin straps of her black undershirt peeked out just above her collar. 

 

Abby and Hoagie sat across from Wally and Kuki, and Abby scoffed as they were forced to listen to Hoagie gush over the new student.

 

“Hoagie, you try to flirt with just about every girl you set your sights on around here.What’s so special about this one?” she asked.Hoagie sighed,

 

“Where do I start?She’s a, mocha skinned, tall Nubian princess, curly hair, mature in the body like, WOAH!” But that wasn’t the only reason he liked her. “She said she moved with her family to Cleveland from New York! _”_ He was smitten, and had finally gathered up the gumption to at least speak two words to her in third period, _“Hey, Ciara!”_

 

“And she didn’t ignore me!She seems mature, we talked for a bit, we got along great!Soooo….when the bell rang, I walked her to her next class annnd… I was like, ‘ _What the heck I gotta do, to be with you?!_ ’” he said.Abby coughed in her chocolate milk.Wally raised an eyebrow,

 

“Whaaat??Oh my god, man!You did NO-HOT say that!” he laughed, slamming his hand palm-down on the table incredulously.She seemed _totally_ out of his league.“Asking a new chick out on her first day?!” he shouted.Hoagie laughed, and rubbed the back of his neck,

 

“Well yeah! I was like, ‘ _Who do I have to be, for you to be with me?!_ ”

 

“Oh my god! Hoagster, my man, that’s practically social suicide!” Wally gawked.

 

“For crying out loud; you just _met_ the girl today, Gilligan!You don’t even know her! Not to mention, it’s not that like the way you asked her doesn’t scream ‘ _creeper’_ or anything,” Abby said, rolling her eyes as her voice dripped with sarcasm.But her disapproval fell on deaf ears; Kuki, coo’d in awe.

 

“Hoagie!That’s so sweet!What’d she say?!”

 

“Yeah man!No doubt she smacked ya one for comin’ on to her!” Wally laughed.

 

“Well…nah…and she hasn’t said anything yet…” he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

 

“Yet?!” Abby asked.“You’re not…”

 

“Well, yeah!I’m not givin’ up!I already put it out there, ya know?And I wanna get to know her more!She did give me her number though.She saw me solving that tough problem in math and later said she might ask me for help sometime so…”

 

“OOH! OOH! Hoagie, you should text her, like NOW!”Kuki shouted, lunging across the table and grabbing his phone.Hoagie flushed head to toe.

 

“WHAT?!Noooo, no, no, nonoN-NO!No way!Kuki! Give it back!” he said, standing up and lunging back across the table as she leaned away from him.She giggled and made her way behind Wally as she pulled up Hoagie’s contacts and found Ciara’s number.He had labeled it, “Hot New Girl.”

 

“Oooh…You’re not very subtle, are ya?” she grinned, cutting her eyes around to him. His face grew even redder as he stood up and ran around the table, chasing her.

 

“Damn-it!Kuki, give me back my phone!” he said, but he couldn’t catch her.

 

Meanwhile, at her locker, a certain teenager was closing her compact mirror when her phone buzzed at her hip.She raised an eyebrow as she looked at the screen, seeing a text from that smart, nerdy kid from her math class. She had labeled his contact, “Sandwich Boy” because of his name.She tapped on the notification and her eyes grew wide before she bit back giggle:

 

-Wth I gotta do 2b w/ u?! LOLOLOL

 

-Wth I gotta do 2b w/u?! ROFLOL

 

-Who do I have 2 b 4u 2 b w/ me????

 

She shook her head at this before quickly typing her response and pocketing her phone.

 

Back in the cafeteria, Hoagies friends were piled on top of each other: Wally was hugging Kuki, acting as a buffer between her and Hoagie, who was leaning over Wally’s back and trying to grab his phone.Abby trying to pry him off of the smaller Aussie.

 

“Damn it!Kuki, I’m not going to tell you again!Give me back my phone!”

 

It pinged.They all looked at the screen. 

 

\- :)

 

She had texted back a smiley-face. 

 

They all stood there in shock before Wally smirked back at his bestie.

 

“Dude, you’re in!” he said.

 

 

\-----

 

That afternoon, a door closed as the older woman let loose a breath before pulling her hair down from her ponytail.She turned to see her 18-year old sister, leaning against the doorway of their kitchen and glaring daggers at her.

 

“Have a good day at school…. _Ciara_?” she spat venomously.School had let out around 3:30, and Abby’s track practice had been cancelled for that day.So, she’d gotten home earlier than usual.Her older sister, however, had not; and the woman was rolling in around 5:45.She rolled her eyes,

 

“Don’t give me that, Abby. I’m just doing my job.”

 

“Oh.You come home from college and the first thing you do is bring your job into _my_ life?!BS.What gives you the right?!You’re lucky I didn’t blow your cover.I thought you weren’t supposed to mix work with family”

 

“Pft.I can manage.If you recall, I handled the two pret-ty well during my Teen Ninja days, wouldn’t you say, pipsqueak?…or did you forget, _Crabigail_?What, you still haven’t told your friends yet that you were chosen for the Teens Next Door?Oh that’s right, they wouldn’t even know what that is.And even if they did, they’d never forgive you for not telling them to begin with,” she said slyly.If they found out the truth, and that Abby remembered everything they were forced to forget from decommissioning, it’d ruin them—break them.Abby frowned, clenching her fists.

 

“That has nothing to do with this Cree, and you know it. Leave the TND out of it.”

 

“Oh, it has _everything_ to do with it, Abby…” she walked up to her younger sister and placed a hand on her head.

 

“But, I’ll keep your little secret if you keep mine; nothing gets compromised and nobody gets hurt,” she said, flipping her hair.

 

“Nobody gets--??? What about HOAGIE?!My god, Cree!One day in and you’re stringing him along like some lost puppy!Damn-it, you KNOW he had a crush on you back then, why are you using that against him now?!He’s never done anything to you!I swear to god, if anything happens to him—”

 

“Relax, Abby!I don’t want _yo_ _man_ ,” the words came out as a hiss.Abby growled, but Cree continued, “If he’s a good kid, like you’re _so_ confident that he is, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.But I have to use my connections, and I’m not going to let you stop me,” she walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, frowning.

 

“Shit, I forgot dad doesn’t like alcohol in the house.”Abby rolled her eyes at this. 

 

Back when Cree was in high school, she had taken up drinking.The problem was, she never drank responsibly.Abby couldn’t count the number of times she had to get some other teen, usually Maurice, to drive her sister home.Or how many times she had to drag the older girl’s dead-weight body to bed and placed a trashcan by her mattress in the middle of the night.Or the lies she had to tell to keep their mom and dad from finding out why their oldest baby-girl was coming home at 2 in the morning.Somewhere down the line, after a near-death experience knocked some sense into Cree, she had started going to AA meetings.It helped, and she hadn’t had a relapse in a long time, but eventually her parents found out about her problem and had made sure to not have any alcohol nearby when she was around lest she reverted back to her old ways.Abby sighed,

 

“Remind me not to grow up too fast.Last thing I wanna do is end up like you,” she said lowly, walking out of the room.She didn’t see her sister tense up, and tighten her fist around the refrigerator handle as happier memories of their younger days flooded her.

 

….Days when all Abby wanted to do was be like her cool, big sister Cree.

 

That was when she affectionately dubbed her, “ _Lil’ Crabigail_.”

  



	2. Will You go to Prom with Me?

Three weeks later, Hoagie and _Ciara_ had gotten relatively closer than Abby was comfortable with.Still, she promised not to say anything…not out of fear that Cree would blow Abby’s secret about being a TND operative but because…well…she still cared about Cree and didn’t want to put her big sister’s job in jeopardy.After all, despite how much they fought each other, and how much Abby despised a lot of Cree’s decisions…they were still blood.So, she endured this charade…reluctantly and warily.Truth be told, it made her unbearably anxious. 

 

At present, Hoagie and Abby had woken up early enough to enjoy a leisurely walk to school.They were fairly early risers compared to Wally and Kuki, who would most likely be taking the bus that morning.And Hoagie couldn’t stop talking about his newfound love interest, whom he’d apparently been texting non-stop.

 

“Abby, we’ve been texting day and night! I know we just met but, I dunno…there’s something about her!Something familiar…. I trust her and we just vibes right away like….I’ve just  never met anyone like her!She listens to all my problems, I let her copy all my homework.And last night I laid it aalll on the line and told her how I felt!  No holds barred!” there was an extra skip in his step as he moved ahead of her, walking backwards and talking animatedly with his hands. At ‘all on the line’ held his right hand up horizontally, moving it across the air like he was smoothing out paper, and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

 

“You…asked her to go steady?After only three weeks?”Abby asked, raising an eyebrow of her own with a smirk on her face and her hands in her pockets.She hoped she was hiding her uneasiness at the whole situation.

 

“Yeah!I…uh…too soon?” he shrugged, suddenly unsure of himself. _“YES, you dummy!_ _What the hell are you doing?!This is what happened to Romeo and Juliet!_ ” that’s what she wanted to scream.…Instead, she gave a small smile and a shrug, 

 

“Well, it’s…a new record for you for sure,” she answered.He beamed with relief.Abby had been somewhat adamant against him making any move on the new girl, if for no other reason than he didn’t know her and she didn’t want him to rush into anything.He knew that she was worried about him, and he appreciated her concern but…he couldn’t deny there was just…something about Ciara.He didn’t want to miss this chance.So eventually, she conceded to let him do whatever he wanted…as long as he was careful. Besides, even if she was worried about him, she had to admit his dorkiness about this whole thing was cute. 

 

“So…what’d she say?” she asked.His face dropped at this as he gripped the straps of his backpack and looked down as he fell back into walking alongside her. He mumbled,

 

“Ah, mmh…she was like…no…”

 

“No?” she giggled.He pouted,

 

“No—!Well, I mean…she didn’t say no _exactly_!….I don’t know…” he sighed.

 

“You don’t know?” she smirked.He huffed at her teasing him,

 

“Hey!I was surprised! Who’d say ‘no’ to me?! ” he pressed both of his hands to his chest in self-reference.

 

“So?”

 

“So, I'm steppin' up my game, mama!It’s too late to be shy!”

 

“So what are you gonna do, lover boy?”

 

“Ah, you’re gonna have to wait for first period, Lincoln.I can’t reveal all my secrets.That’ll ruin the magic,” he said with a wink.She rolled her eyes,

 

“Oh yeah, because you’re a natural Houdini,” she said. And he nudged her in the side.As they approached the entrance of the school, the two realize it was 7:00.They had about 30 minutes before they needed to start making their way to class.So, they just hung out on the steps outside and…talked.Shooting the breeze passed the time until their friends showed up.

 

“So…you ready to finally let me immerse you in the amazing world of time travel?”

 

“You can ask all you want, Gilligan.It ain’t gonna happen.”

 

“C’mooon!You’re the only one who I think will appreciate the Doctor!Wally won’t get it and Kook’s got a short attention span!You have to binge-watch it with me before the new season starts!”

 

“Keep tryin’, slick” she said, tapping his nose.He stuck his tongue out at her.

\---

 

First period came, and Hoagie sat in what he had officially designated as his seat, a matter he settled during third period on Ciara’s first day—immediately to her right. At present, Hoagie sat there in their first class, anxiously bouncing his leg up and down as he waited for his new crush to come in.Abby's seat was right behind where her sister would be once she arrived, and Wally sat behind Abby, more than happy to be further away from the front of the room so the teacher wouldn’t see him.Wally failed to hide a yawn, but he noticed how jittery his friend was.He frowned, leaning forward to talk to Abby,

 

“Man, he’s got it bad, huh?”

 

“You just now realizing that?” Abby whispered lowly. 

 

“Well, I thought it’d only last like a couple of days but, it’s almost going on month!This is ridiculous; he’s like a love sick puppy.”

 

“And apparently the show’s not over yet.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“He said he’s gonna do…something…today.I just hope it’s not stupid…” Abby sighed, twirling a pencil between her fingers like a mini baton.It was then that Ciara walked through the doors.She stretched her arms high above her head, eyes still sleepy with having to go to class with these…kids. They may have technically been teens, but to her they’d always be kids.She trudged over and sat in her desk next to Hoagie, in front of her sister.He instantly perked up upon seeing her.

 

“Ciara!Hey, good morning!You sleep well?”

 

“Hmm…” she mumbled, propping her elbow on the table top, leaning her head in her hand, and closing her eyes.He chuckled before taking his pencil and nudging her arm.

 

“Hey!Heeey, c’mon.If you sleep now you’re gonna miss the best part!” she frowned and glared at him.  


“What the hell are you talking about?”

 

“You’ll see!” he winked, standing up and getting in front of the classroom.The teacher still hadn’t come in yet, so he had limited time to do his plan.He hesitantly cleared his throat to get everyone’s attachment.

 

“Uh…excuse me?Everyone?Guys…I have something to say!” 

 

“Ah, sit down Gilligan!”

 

“No one wants to hear another one of your dumbass stand-up comedy bits!” a couple of students threw crumpled up pieces of paper at the teen—though not maliciously.Hoagie was used to this.

 

“Geeze guys, you’re a tough crowd! Haha!” he laughed; they joined in.He then turned to Cree and walked up to her desk.She stiffened nervously before sliding down in her seat a little.Hoagie placed both hands on the tabletop and leaned forward a bit,

 

“Ciara Summers…you’ve join our school a couple of weeks ago, and I think it’s safe to say you’re one of the most captivating students here.”

 

“That’s a stretch!” some random kid shouted, to which the class ‘ooooh’d’.Even Abby snickered, while Cree just turned and glared angrily at the kids behind her.

 

“Nobody asked you, Jonas!” she thought he was a jackass anyway.Everyone laughed again as Hoagie brought Cree’s attention back to him.

 

“Well, we’ve been talking for a while now and, I have only one question for you,” he pulled out his iphone and selected a track from his music that he had customized.After turning up the volume, he placed the device on her desk before backing up, doing a quick spin, and hitting a couple of dance moves that mimicked an amateur Michael Jackson.

 

“What the heck I gotta do, to be with you?!” he sang.Cree’s eyes grew wide; Abby and Wally’s mouths dropped.

 

“Oh my god…” Wally whispered. “He’s not….”

 

“He is….” Abby whispered back.He was serenading her—dancing and everything.Cree slumped down in her seat even further as Hoagie continued singing.

 

“I said, what the heck I gotta dooo?! To be with you!” he did a fairly decent version of the moonwalk before hitting a little spin and popping up on the toes of his sneakers. 

 

“Whooo!” he slid back across the floor, up to her desk.

 

“Who do I have to beeeee, for you to go to prom with me?!” by this point, most of the class was whooping and hollering.Hoagie got to his knees, reached up and took her hand.Cree pressed her lips together nervously….

 

“Ciara, I know there’s a reason you were transferred here to me. This isn't luck, it's destiny! I can feel it, and I know you do too!  So, Ciara…will you…will you go to prom with me?”Half of the class was standing up and cheering, which is right when Mr. Frybingle came through the door.

 

“Alright, you hooligans!I’m in no mood for your psychotic riots today!Gilligan, get off the floor.We’ve told you before, you bomb as a stand-up comic and prop comic.Now sit down before I give you detention!” he said.Flushing, Hoagie stood and took his seat.He had been working on that little performance all week; had it all been for nothing?She hadn’t answered him…just looked like she had been embarrassed throughout the whole thing…flustered…like a deer in headlights. 

 

He was nervous now; he’d just put her on the spot like that.Maybe…she didn’t like that sort of thing?The thought circled around in his head the entire class period…

 

When the bell rang, everyone hustled out of the room like his little song and dance hadn’t happened earlier.The stragglers were him, Cree, and Abby.He had his forehead down in his desk. Abby was taking her time packing her books, keeping an eye on him and her sister.Cree stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Not now Abby, I just made a fool of myself in front of Ciara and…”

 

“Well…a heartwarming fool, but yeah,” she said, causing him to shoot upright.His eyes grew wide as she leaned forward.

 

“You’re a bold kid, Hoagie.Tell ya what, I’ll think about it,” she said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek.Abby frowned at this and Cree gave him a wink. 

 

“See you in third period, Cassanova,” she said.He froze, her voice bouncing off the edges of his brain, ringing in his ears has his cheek tingled from where her lips had been,

 

“ _She’ll think about it._ _Think about it._ _She'll think about it. Think about it…she’ll…she said she’ll think about it…”_ it was then that Abby stood up and stopped in front of his desk.   


“S-she’ll think about it.She said she’ll….YES!” he did a fist-pump motion, causing Abby to roll her eyes.

 

“Yeah, yeah, slow your roll there lover-boy.Prom’s not for several weeks.You still gotta get through the rest of your classes first, like second period,” she said, grabbing his ear and pulling him out of his seat.He laughed and did a little two step, practically dancing as she pushed him ahead of her and out of the classroom.…Once he was out of sight, her face fell.

 

She had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

 

A/N: Reviews are welcome!


	3. Get Her the Stuff

Abby threw her hands up in the air, “You’ll _think_ _about it_?!Really, Cree?!” Her sister frowned as she tried to look around her younger sibling. 

 

“Uh…you’re not transparent, Crabigail!And this is a new episode of _Bring It_!So if you don’t mind—!”

 

“You’ve got the boy head-over-heels in love with you.Do you not realize that?!”

 

“Hey!I thought we agreed, we wouldn’t interfere with each other’s work…”

 

“We _agreed_ no one would get hurt!When it involves my friends, of course I’m going to interfere!”

 

“UGH!” Cree grabbed her remote and…somehow, was able to pause the television despite her sister practically blocking the receptor.She glared at her.“Okay.So, what?!What do you want me to do, Abby?”

 

“C’mon, Cree.Just, leave him alone…that’s all I’m asking.” Abby said, dropping her arms down at her side helplessly.She looked down a moment before bringing her hands up and hugging her arms, almost as if protecting herself.

 

“I…I don’t know what the hell kinda of mission the force has you doing but…you can’t….you can’t just sacrifice Hoagie’s well-being for it.It’s not fair and you know it!”There was quiet as Abby looked up at the older woman.“Damn-it.Cree, you’re 25 year’s old.What the did they assign you that it involves messing with a bunch of teenagers?”

 

“Abby…I’m not…messing around, okay?And, and stop being so…I mean, it doesn’t all revolve around you and your little friends.I…” she paused, biting her lip.“It’s complicated…”

 

“No, Cree.You working for Father was complicated.This, I don’t know what this is!”

 

“You’re blowing things out of proportion!Christ, it’s not like I even gave the boy an answer!”

 

“You TOLD him you’d THINK about it!He’s practically floating on air, that’s a YES to him!”

 

“I didn’t say YES and I DIDN’T say I’d think about it!”

 

“I HEARD YOU!” they were screaming as the sound of a key entering the lock of the front door pierced through the room.

 

“Bonjour? Je suis à la maison mes précieux anges! (Hello?I’m home my precious angels!)”It was their mother.Both girls took a breath before turning to great their mother with huge smiles. 

 

“Heeey mom!” Abby said, hugging the woman as she pressed a kiss to her daughter’s head.

 

“Where’s dad?”Cree asked, standing.“Working late?”

 

“Ah, Oui. He was called in to the hospital an hour ago!He will most likely be there all night,” their mother said.The girls looked at each other.

 

“Have you done your homework, Abigail?”

 

“Ah…yeah.Well, I have to study for a test but…”

 

“And…I’ve got some…paperwork to do,” Cree said, standing and walking out of the room.She felt the eyes of Abby and her mother on her back.Her mom called out to her, but she practically hustled away, making her way to her bedroom.Once inside, she closed and locked the door, pressing her forehead against it.She took a deep breath and sighed.

 

“Shit…” she whispered.This was getting too difficult. …She’d thought it’d be easy.She thought…rather than making new friends, she could rely on kids she was already familiar with to make her job less tedious.But she had underestimated the emotional ties between her sister and her sister’s friends. …No, she’d underestimated the emotional ties between her and her sister. She thought those had been somewhat severed, or at least long and buried, ages ago.So why was she feeling guilty?Honestly, when she made the decision to go down this route, she did it with a firm resolve.She couldn’t turn back now…no matter how remorseful she felt.

 

Cree had just completed her training at the police academy for the local precinct near her university.She was an undercover officer.Her most recent assignment allowed her to visit her home town and to stay with her family. 

 

Her mission: to pose as a high school senior and find out who was buying and who was selling drugs on campus.Mostly, pills and weed. 

 

 _“You would not believe how easy it is to get pills and weed.”_

 

At least, that’s what her fellow officers who’d already entrapped a couple of students told her.They’d integrated themselves into small pockets of their assigned school’s social hierarchy more easily than she had.No, she chose to go the ‘comfort’ route—to befriend some of her sister’s old friends and classmates, and Hoagie Gilligan had taken to her like a moth to a flame…just like he had when he was in the Kids Next Door.She remembered it vividly—so she thought she could use him to her advantage.Hey, if he was going to follower her around, she might as well make use of him.She scoffed as she made her way to her bed and sat on it, lying down on her back and staring blankly at her ceiling.

 

In addition to the emotional stress of this particular assignment…she had to deal with enduring just how animalistic the teenagers were.…She’d forgotten all about it from her own adolescent-hood.Hundreds of teenagers running and yelling and stinking likethree-week old sweat socks rubbed under unwashed arm pits.No wonder she was so tempted to drink after a long day.She sighed and closed her eyes, thinking to herself,

 

“Abby just doesn’t understand.Seriously, these kids need to realize there are consequences in life.If I’m doing my job and I’m doing it right, I’m making life safer one school at a time…for all of them.”Then, Hoagie’s face flashed before her eyes and she internally cringed.“…But it’s true…you make friends on the job.Then it ends.You meet kids who are sensitive, smart, and defenseless.Those are the ones you remember, the ones you think about after you’re gone…”

 

She took a breath slowly sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of her mattress and squatting down to reach under her bed.No one in her family knew, but she’d managed to sneak in a case of her old reliable favorite.It was just one case, but it was enough.She pulled one can from the plastic rings and popped the tab.

 

Because it didn’t matter.None of it mattered.At the end of the day, she still had a fucking job to do.It had to get done…by any means necessary.

 

\----

 

Three days later marked Friday, and Cree still hadn’t given Hoagie an answer.She had buttered him up a bit more over that time, while simultaneously trying to ignore the fact that Abby was effectively giving her the silent treatment.That day, in third period, the class had just finished taking a math exam.

 

Hoagie had to admit, he’d been having a bit more trouble focusing on his school work lately.Some of his grades had dropped from As to B-s.If he could finally pry an answer out of Ciara though, that would alleviate some of the stress; he just knew it.

 

“Ciara…”

 

“Hm?” she absently ignored him as she started gathering her books. 

 

“C’mooon!Just tell me! Who do I have to be for you to be with me?!” he asked. He was asking again.She sighed in agitation, not answering right away and only making him more frustrated. He stood as he waited for her to get out of her seat so he could walk her out as they transitioned to their respective classes for fourth period.Cree remained quiet, almost as if she were contemplating something.

 

“Ciara?” he called her name again.She closed her eyes and took a breath.It was now or never.She stood and shouldered her bag, tightening her grip on the strap.She cut her eyes around to the hallway.Out of her peripheral, she couldn’t see anyone.Good.She spoke lowly,

 

“Do you smoke?”A beat.Hoagie blinked.Wha—? 

 

“Ah…I’m sorry?” He…had he heard her correctly? …N-no, he…she must’ve misspoke.

 

“Do you smoke weed?”

 

“Ha…hahaha..haa! Ahh! Y-you’ve got a great sense of humor there, Ciara!A real kidder! Haha!” he laughed, nudging her in the side with his elbow.She narrowed her eyes.

 

“I’m not joking, Gilligan,” she said.He choked on his air, eyes growing wide as he swallowed nervously.

 

“What?Um…ah…I…do you?” he squinted his eyes, voice going up an octave as if he weren’t sure whether or not he should be asking her.She click her tongue

 

“Look, I just asked you a simple question.Either you do or you don’t…”

 

“I…I don’t but…why??”

 

“Then fine.I’ll find someone else…” she turned and started walking out of the classroom.

 

“Gah!!N-no, wait!!WAIT!”He rushed after her.“I-I mean, I don’t but….but if…if that’s what you need I….” he swallowed, clenching his hands into fists nervously.Cree held a nonchalant expression; she simply raised an eyebrow, as if she were only mildly interested in his answer.Hoagie took a deep breath and stood straight.Maybe…maybe if he could get her what she wanted, she’d go out with him?And…it wasn’t like _he’d_ be smoking it.Just…making the connection for her. …That wasn’t a crime, right?Besides, it’d…it’d just be the one time.Then he’d distance himself.

 

“I…I could find some for you.I…I can be your supply…” his voice grew low, meek with a slight squeak.Cree’s eyes grew wide.She…hadn’t expected….

 

“You….you’d do that for me?” she asked in a whisper.Her brain ran a mile a minute, and for half a second she regretted the offer.She opened her mouth to retract it when Hoagie reached out and grabbed her hand, looking down and giving it a squeeze.He glanced up and looked at her, a steady gaze,

 

“I can be your guy.”She swallowed, looking at her hand in his.

 

“Ciara?” he asked, his voice hopeful.Abby’s warning and anxiousness screamed in Cree’s head, but she mentally shook it off.She had a damn job to do.

 

“Ciara, if I get this for you….will you go out with me?Go to prom with me?Please?!” god, he sounded so desperate.Her face hardened before she looked up at smirked at him.She squeezed his hand before raising her other one and bringing her index finger under his chin.

 

_If I’m doing my job…and I’m doing it right…I am making life safer one school at a time._

 

“Get me the stuff, and we’ll see,” she said with a wink.

* * *

 

Reviews are welcome!


	4. Callin' a Cousin

“I DON’T KNOW MAN!! Why are you askin’ me?!!” Wally balked at his friend, shocked and insulted by the insinuation of this “favor” he was asking.Hoagie sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy, brown hair.

  
“Because I don’t hang out with guys like that!”

“GAH?!Well what the hell makes you think I do?!” Wally asked.To this, Hoagie gave him a deadpanned expression.Wally pouted and folded his arms, refusing to justify the silent accusation.

“COME ON, Wally, you’ve GOTTA know someone!I mean, you talk to Ernest and Lunk and the lot of them all the time, right?!”

 

“That doesn’t mean I do drugs with them, stupid!” he smacked Hoagie in the back of the head.

 

“OW!Well, FINE! If you can’t help me, I’ll find someone who will!” Hoagie said angrily, standing up and grabbing his backpack.He had stopped by the school’s gym to ask Wally for help while the blond was lifting weights.But when Hoagie came in and told Wally he needed a favor, the Aussie never expected this.He was now sitting on one of the benches, hunched over with his elbows on his knees and pressing his lips together.He was looking down and his eyebrows were furrowed, his head in his hand.

 

Wally hadn’t seen Hoagie this smitten since they were kids and Cree Lincoln had been in town.She was Abby’s older sister and Hoagie had it bad for her for years.As they grew up, his feelings died down after he realized there was no chance of anything happening and she eventually went to college.They hadn’t heard from her since. 

 

But this…this was on a whole new level.Wally didn’t know what sort of spell or vudu Ciara had him under, but this wasn’t the Hoagie he knew.The boy was usually less reckless than this; he was the one to get Wally out of trouble, not get himself into it.He sighed,

 

“Look mate, are you really serious about this sheilah?”And he saw it.Hoagie’s eyes grew wide and for just a moment, there was hesitancy…doubt…fear as he bit his lip.But he blinked and shook his head.

 

“Y-yeah…yes!I’m sure.” 

 

“…then…just….be careful, ey?”Hoagie tightened his grip on his backpack, a shadowy look falling over his eyes, and he left the room.

 

 

 

\----

Hoagie went straight to his Plan B.He made his way to the local hot spot where most of the teens in town hung out.Behind the counter was his old buddy Lime Ricky, who had an knack for mixing up all kinds of drinks.Not many people knew this, but the two were also actually third cousins.Hoagie sidled up to the counter and slid himself onto a seat, his school backpack at his feet.

 

“Gilligan!Cous!It’s been a while since you’ve been on this side of town!Your usual?” Ricky asked, giving the teen a fist-bump.

 

“Just a light fizz today, Rick.I need ta ask ya a favor.”

 

“Shoot!Anything from one of my best customers!Whatcha need, Gill?!”There was a pause as Hoagie, again, questioned again if he were doing the right thing; but he solidified his resolve.

 

“Ah…look.I’m…looking for….something. …For someone…”A beat, then Ricky began wagging hiseyebrows suggestively.

 

“Hmmm…Ahh, something for…a little lady friend, perhaps?You finally joinin’ the big boys, Gilligan? About time...!Who is it?Ah, who cares?!Ya know what?If ya want some stuff to make it reaaaal special for you and the lil’ lady, I know some guys…”Ricky grinned cheekily.Hoagie eyes bulged as he turned beet red and immediately shook his head, waving his hands back and forth in front of his face in denial,

 

“WHAT?!Nononono!N-not THAT!God!What’s wrong with you?!” he cried.Ricky laughed,

 

“HEY! It’s the cycle of life, Gill! Nothin’ wrong with it; nothing to be ashamed of!Actually, as much as you flirt with the lasses I’m surprised it’s takin’ ya this long!And—“

 

“Shhhh-shush! –Shut-up! I-it’s not that!”Hoagie countered.Ricky frowned and slid the glass of root beer over to Hoagie before leaning an elbow on the table and tossing a towel over his shoulder.

 

“Then what _is_ it, Gill?” he asked.Hoagie was trying desperately to fight down his blush, but now he felt more out of place than ever.This was too awkward.He should just get out of here while he still had some dignity. _….So why wasn’t he moving?_ The teen took a deep breath and sighed…

 

“I need…some….” he frowned.Was there some slang term he was supposed to be using for this?Damn it, he had no idea “…Er…some…plants…??” God, even he knew that didn’t sound right.He scrunched up his face.Ricky frowned,

 

“Plants?”

 

“Y-yeah…ya know?!” he cried.Ricky furrowed his eyebrows,

 

“Ah…I’m not followin’ ya, G. I’m not a florist, ya know.That’s Muffy Jenkins’ joint just four blocks over.”

 

“UGH!Ya know…some…stuff!….Green stuff.AHm…” god, he couldn’t even say it now!

 

“Green stuff?Just…spit it out, Gilligan, you’re not making sense!”

 

“Urgh! POT!” he whispered, harshly.Ricky’s mouth dropped and his eyes grew wide,

 

“ _What_?!”

 

“Look….I just…I need some, alright?N-not for me, for someone else…but I just…”

 

“Who the hell you runnin’ with that’s got you sniffin’ around for some weed, Gilligan?!”Ricky frowned.

 

“N-no!It’s…”

 

“Sorry, can’t help ya.”

 

“W-WHAT?!B-but you just said you’ve got my back!” 

 

“I lied.”

 

“Gah!Ricky, PLEASE!It’s…it’s for a girl…”

 

“I ain’t gettin’ involved!”

 

“Ricky!”

 

“NO!”

 

“Look!” Hoagie placed his palms on the counter and leaned forward angrily, eyes narrowed, “I’ve been asking around for a couple of days now and everyone claims they can’t help me, which I refuse to believe in this small town!You know all the insider connections around here; you’ve just gotta have a hook up!C’mon, man!”

 

“IIIII don’t know, Gill. I ain’t too fond’a the idea of you messin’ around with that stuff,” he said, cleaning out an empty glass. 

 

“Ugh!Shit, Ricky!” he slammed a fist on the table.“Look I’m a big boy and I can take care of myself!I’m not asking your permission, damn it!Do you have a hookup or not?!” Hoagie almost yelled.The patrons around them raised eyebrows and Ricky hushed him.

 

“Jesus, Gilligan.You’re gonna start a ruckus!Calm down,” he sighed, before narrowing his eyes.There was a pause.Hoagie fixed him with a glare, and Ricky glared back. 

 

Ricky and Hoagie had always been fairly close.They traded cards together as kids, and Hoagie was always up for trying his newest mixes of juices and soda.They’d always looked out for each other, and everyone knew that Hoagie had a bright future ahead of him.With an affinity for airplanes and engineering, he was a whiz kid, ahead of his time.He’d actually caught the eyes of a few colleges after he made the honor roll this year, and everyone was expecting great things from him.

 

Ricky didn’t want him to screw that up.

 

“You sure you can look out for yourself?

 

“Yes.”

 

“……” he sighed.“… Give me a couple of days.…I might know a guy. Maybe.If he agrees, you’ll be getting’ a call,” he said, taking his towel off his shoulder and wiping down the counter with a bit more force than usual.Hoagie’s eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped in shock.

 

“R-really?”

 

“Yeah, yeah.Now get outta here before I change my mind.Don’t make me regret this.”

 

“Oh.Oh wow.Ricky, t-thanks man! I owe ya, big time!”

 

“Yeah, yeah.Whatever.Just beat it, huh?!Go on, get outta here!” he said, not in a harsh way, but Hoagie picked up on a tone there.He decided not to push his luck and as he walked out the door, Ricky made his way to the back room and pulled out his cell phone.

 

“Ace?Yeah, I need another hook-up.” ….He knew that Ace could make the right connections.The kid himself didn’t indulge, but he was one of “the cool teens,” so he knew people who did.

 

So, Ace called a cousin, who called a cousin, who called cousin, who called a friend of a friend of a cousin.That friend called a couple dozen more cousins and soon the Hoagie’s request was flowing through the grapevine:

 

_“Yo, I hear Gilligan is lookin’ for a little somethin’, somethin’ for a certain someone, some girl he wants to be touchin’!”_

 

_“Gill?As in Gilligan?Hoagie P. Gilligan?!Didn’t he just make the honor roll? He’s a hot shot on the college circuit right now, you sure it’s him?!”_

 

_“On the 100, man!”_

 

_“Are we close to GillIigan?!Are we supposed to trust him? What if it’s a setup?”_

 

_“Yeah, sounds fishy to me!”_

 

_“Why’s he even askin’ us?!We ain't a drug ring, man!”_

 

Three days later, Hoagie had no clue whether or not the gears had been set in motion; he hadn’t heard from anyone.The boy thought Ricky had left him to dry, and he didn’t know what to do when late in the evening, he was staring at the message Ciara had left him on his phone,

 

-Did u get it yet?

 

He didn’t answer right away.If he said no, she might stop talking to him completely.He was surprised that she was waiting for him for this long.…he had keep her attention though; couldn’t leave her hanging.He thought for a minute before moving his thumbs over the keyboard,

 

-No, but I’m about to get it.

 

-Who’s your dealer?Is he a student? Does he go to our school?

 

He didn’t know? Hell, wasn’t sure if he could answer her even if he did.He decided to deflect.

 

-I got u, C.Don’t sweat it.

 

-Let me know when you got it.

 

-As soon as I can

 

-I’ll find a way to repay u, Hoagie. ;-)

 

 _Oh man!_ He flushed head to toe at this, grabbed a pillow, and covered his face.Dang it, if he didn’t hear from someone soon, he didn’t know what he was going to do. 

 

But he couldn’t lose her.

* * *

 

Reviews are welcome!


	5. Underground

It had been a full week, and Hoagie still hadn’t heard from anyone.Why?Because the “cousins” were still discussing whether not they should even cut him a break:

 

_“Yo, what is up with this fussin’?! Why is this even up for discussion?!This is GILLIGAN coming to us, he’s our blood and we love him!”_

 

_“Ok. Ok. But just give us ONE good reason. Why should we sell him these drugs?!”_

 

_“They say our boy’s in love…”_

 

_“LOVE??”_

 

_“…”_

 

_“…”_

 

_“…”_

 

_“…”_

 

_“Damn it.Get him the stuff.”_

 

\---

Abby didn’t find out what was going on until she was on a mission for the TND.Dressed in a white body-suit with visor-equipped helmet on her head, she had driven her jet-powered bike to an old, abandoned warehouse.Her close friend, Maurice, had taken his own bike, and was right at her side. 

 

The goal of the TND was to keep an eye on KND missions and to help the kids out whenever things got too dangerous.They also served as allies to some adult institutions—after all, not _all_ adults were villains.The teens kept in mind how some adults, like Lasso Lass, and even Number Zero (before he was decommissioned), wanted to help kids, not harm them. 

 

On this particular day, while meeting Maurice at the supermarket and drinking some slushies, the duo had gotten a call on their wristwatch-communicators about incoming mission specs.They then made their way to the base as fast as they could to receive their assignment. 

 

The TND headquarters was several levels beneath and the local supermarket and was filled with arcade games, a room with a selection of the latest soundtracks, a dance floor, a bar, and more.But things weren’t always what they seemed: the dance floor was a combat-training area; the bar doubled as a station for testing new chemical weapons like perfumes, colognes, and serums; the soundtrack selection was for decoding encrypted messages; and the arcade consoles were for planning strategic attacks while also checking surveillance around the city.Once the duo reached the base, they made a beeline for the arcade consoles, where they ran into Numbuh Infinity.

 

“Ah.Numbuhs 5 and 9, glad you could make it.We have an urgent matter at hand here.Looks like a couple of kids decided to check out a spooky warehouse on a dare, not realizing it belonged to one of our more well-known adversaries: The Six-Gum Gang.”

 

“They’re still around?I thought they broke up and joined different cliques once we got to high school,” Maurice said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

 

“Only on campus.Off school-grounds, they’re closer than ever…and more dangerous.”

 

“What are they up to now?”

 

“They use that warehouse as a hide-out for gang related activities.They’re latest focus seems to be trying to fashion drugs out of sweets like Rainbow Monkey cereal and candies.”

 

“Are they the guys responsible for some of those Tumblr posts we see about spiked Halloween and Easter candies?And the ones that were pushing that Tide-pod challenge a while back?”

 

“We have our suspicions and are trying to confirm their IP Addresses from those posts, but we think so, yes.If it’s not them, it’s their associates.There’s definitely a connection.”

 

“So what’s the mission?” Abby asked, making her way up to an arcade console and pressing a few buttons.She narrowed her eyes as she moved the joystick around to zoom in on the security camera image to the right of the screen while her eyes also scanned the information scrolling. Up to the left.

 

“Like I said, a couple of innocent kids let their curiosity get the best of them.The gang’s had them locked up in a cage so far and they’re scared stiff.”

 

“What about the KND?” Maurice asked, wondering if they had been contacted already to rescue the innocent children who’d gotten caught up in this mess.

 

“Looks like the gang gave them a run for their money too.Look,” Abby said, pointing to the screen.Sure enough four current KND operatives they recognized from one of the town’s Sectors were trying to fight back against the Six Gum Gang’s methods of torture.But they weren’t doing too well.Abby and Maurice cringed as they watched one gang member dangle some drool above one of the kid’s faces, and another chewed and loaded his gun full of gum before firing it at a KND operative that was splayed out on one of those spinning torture wheels.

 

It appears…the gang been taunting them with the usual: noogies, wedgies, pink bellies, wet-willies…” Infinity said.

 

“Shit, man they always take it too far,” Maurice whispered about the gang as he walked up next to Abby and frowned at the screen. 

 

“The kids in that Sector are some of the newer recruit.Just graduated 5 months ago.” Infinity added.

 

“They need more training…” Maurice muttered lowly, great concern in his voice at seeing the little ones go through so much turmoil.

 

“No, the Six Gum Gang need to learn some manners.You ready to suit up, Numbuh 9?” Abby asked.

 

“Thought you’d never ask,” Maurice said, giving her a fist bump.

 

“Wait…” Infinity stood before both of them.“I’ll make this quick.We called you because time is of the essence.They may be just playing with those kids now, but they ARE in a drug warehouse.We wouldn’t be surprised if they sacrificed those kids’ well-being for their own enjoyment, particularly as test subjects.In other words…we have reason to believe they’ll force those kids to eat the drugged sweets.So get in, get them, and get out.If something happens with those drugs, and you guys are exposed, it won’t be good for you either.”

 

“Wait, why hasn’t the police been called in to do anything?”Abby asked. A beat.

 

“The gang is… on their radar.They’re waiting for the right time to bust them, and we can’t interfere with their investigation,” Infinity said.Abby frowned and growled.She hated things like this—those in authority putting kids in danger as a result of it of being “diplomatic” and playing it “by the books”. She tensed up and clenched her fists, seething, which Maurice noticed immediately.He knew what she was feeling and put a hand on her shoulder,

 

“Hey…” he started.She looked up at him.

 

“It’s fine…let’s just go get’m ourselves,” he said, with a determined smile.She relaxed and nodded.

 

“Right. TND on deck!” she shouted.

 

And that’s how they got here—Maurice having whipped his collapsible, all-terrain hover board from his backpack and flying around the room, distracting some members of the gang while Abby fired CD discs at them, causing some to get cuts on their faces and their arms.At one point, the two teenagers ended up using some break-dance moves to throw the villains off their game while in hand-to-hand combat, and leveraged each other for balance to throw some round-house kicks at their enemies.Abby even used some of her gymnastics moves to throw them off track.It was a pretty badass fight and in the end, they had taken down just about all of them—releasing the kids that were in the cage and corralling the villains behind the small bars instead.They got all of them except for one, who came out of nowhere and used his ginormous arm to knock Abby upside the head, causing her to slide across the floor.

 

“Numbuh Five!”Maurice cried.

 

Abby groaned and tried to blink the blurry vision from her eyes as a giant, bulking shadow of a being approached her.She frowned, _W-wait…there are…there as six members of the gang…and we’ve got’m all so..who is…???_ Then her eyes widened as she realized who had knocked her out.Maurice growled and lurched forward until Abby called out to him,

 

“STOP!Numbuh 9, you….t-the kids!Get them outta here! Numbuh Five’s got this!” she shouted.And he hesitated before looking back at the kids who were battered, bruised, and huddled together.The KND Ops were trying to put on a brave front, serving as a trembling wall of protection before the two kids they had originally attempted to rescue; however, they were just as terrified.Maurice let out a sound of frustration and ran toward them.Abby was right.He needed to get them out of there. 

 

“Uh-uh-uh!We’re not done having fun with them yet!” the enormous figure said, shooting a large wad gum out of his bazooka-like gun and hitting Maurice, causing him to stick to the wall at the opposite end of the room.It was Ernest, Wally’s old friend.He wasn’t really a member of the Six Gum Gang, but worked with them after befriending Lunk a couple of years ago, and sort of took over as their “unofficial leader,” much to Runt’s dismay.The kids cried out in fear as their rescuer was incapacitated, rushing over to try to pry him from the impossibly sticky gunk that glued him to the wall.Maurice was unconscious.Ernest then emptied the gun at his waist and loaded it with small marbles filled with powder sugar, the kind you’d find in pixie-sticks candy.

 

“L-leave them alone, Ernest!”Abby screamed.

 

“Aww, we just wanna play with them!What, you’re not gonna let them try some of our candy?!Kids love candy, right?” he said, aiming the gun at the kids.Once they were hit, they would feel the effects instantaneously as the powder seeped through their skin—feeling the flavor of the candy on their taste buds, but undergoing the symptoms that toxic high.But he didn’t fire.Instead, he paused,

 

“Wait….you sound familiar…” he walked up to Abby and picked her up by her hair before narrowing his eyes and flicking up the visor on her helmet.She grunted and tried to pry his hand off of her.His eyebrows shot up in shock,

 

“OH-HO, shit!Y-you’re Beetle’s friend! HAHA!”

 

“L-let me GO you moron!”

 

“Wow, I can’t believe this!” he shouted, busting out in laughter.But that was all he had time to say before Abby swung her legs back and used all of her energy to swing forward, kicking Ernest in the chin and making him release her.He cried out in pain and she then hit a couple of backward somersaults to get away from him.Blood dripped from his mouth and he grinned at her as he wiped it on the back of his hand. He then spit out a tooth that she had knocked loose.

 

“Oh, this is gonna to be fun,” he said, charging her as she motioned for him to ‘bring it on.’They ended up engaging in a heated battle as the kids, _somehow_ , managed to pry Maurice off of the wall.

 

“Mister!Mister, hey!A-are you okay?! Wake up!?” the hectically tried to pull him back to reality.The teen groaned and slowly opened his eyes, trying to push through the throbbing pain piercing through his body.His vision was blurry as he tried to swim through the muddle of thoughts and focus on what was happening.

 

…T-the fight.The rescue mission.The kids….Abby!His eyes went wide as they scanned the room to find her taking Lunk on one-on-on. 

 

“N-NUMBUH Five!”

 

“Get OUT of here, Numbuh Nine! I-I got this!” he froze again, she rarely spoke in the first person—usually when she was really mad or scared.He then grit his teeth and closed his eyes until he felt one of the younger ones pulling on his arm impatiently.He steeled his resolved,

 

“I’m coming back for you!” he said, quickly ushering the kids out of the building. 

 

“Ya know, it’s pretty stupid to be called the Six Gum Gang when there are seven of you now!” Abby said as she continued engaging the larger opponent in combat.

 

“I ain’t one of’m, princess!That’d be stupid.They’re beneath me!” Ernest said, looking over his shoulder and spotting his victims scampering away.Abby noticed this and lunged forward to distract him, somehow managing to get Ernest pinned down with a leg bent backwards.He grunted and reached for his gun, which had fallen and slid a ways from him on the floor.

 

“What is stupid, is for a bunch of little twerps to think they’re getting away from me that easily!!” he shouted, picking it up and taking aim at the kids.

 

“N-NO!Leave them alone!” Abby cried.

 

“Heheheh!Six little rugrats trying to flee, which one’s gonna be easy pickin’s for me?!” he asked, zeroing in on the smallest who was trailing the group.He grinned evilly.

 

“Gotcha!”

 

“NUMBUH NINE!” Abby shouted.Maurice turned and saw Ernest taking aim at the kid, then quickly fell back and scooped the child up in his arms just as Ernest fired his shot.It hit Maurice in the neck, causing him to roll and tumble.Abby’s eyes grew wide and she let out a shout as she released Ernest’s leg and grabbed his arms, pulling it as far back behind his back as it would go, which actually lifted him up off the ground a bit.He screamed in pain.

 

“Shit!Let me go, you crazy bi—“

 

“NEVER!You’re going around trying to get kids hooked on drugs!You’re gonna PAY for this!”

 

“HAHA!You’re such a damn hypocrite!”

 

“What are you talking about?!” she asked.

 

“You don’t want kids experimenting with drugs, but you’re okay with your friends doing it?!C’mon, everyone’s gonna hit it at some point!Might as well get’m started early!”

 

“That’s sick!And what are you talking about?!Wally doesn’t—“

 

“I ain’t talkin’ about Beetles!I’m talkin about the other one!”She grew quiet as the thought processed through her mind. _No, he couldn’t mean…H-Hoagie?!!_ Okay, the guy had to be off his rocker, that didn’t even compute in her head!

“T-that’s not true it…” she was stunned by confusion, and Ernest used the opportunity to free himself before rolling over and tackling her to the ground.

 

“GAH!W-what are you—?!” she grunted, wrestling with him on the floor.He grinned as he pinned her, holding one of those pixie sticks up next to her face.

 

“Oh!You didn’t know?Word on the street is Gilligan’s lookin’ to try a bit of the good stuff himself!Makin’ the delivery later tonight.And no doubt you’re little TND buddies knew if they’ve been keeping tabs on us.Actually surprised it got past you, Lincoln.But then again, maybe you’d like to join him and your little friend out there.You’re known as the candy queen after all and if you love that sugar high, oh-ho baby, you haven’t lived ‘till you tried the real stuff!” he said, holding a powdery pellet up to her mouth.She pressed her lips closed and continued to try to wrestle him off of her until she heard him scream out in pain. 

 

Suddenly his weight was gone.She rolled over and looked at Maurice, who was on his knees, looking worse for wear.He was panting profusely and he looked like he was going to pass out any minute.He had used one of their tazer-guns, which they only fired as a last resort.The tazer came in a conveniently small bullet which hit Ernest, knocking him off of Abby and causing the barb wires inside to send an electric shock throughout his body.Abby scrambled to her feet and made her way over to Maurice just as he collapsed to the ground.

 

“Maurice?Maurice, hey! Hey! Look at me!Are you okay?! Y-You’re alright!You’re gonna be alright, hey!” she held him in her arms, pressing a palm to his face.He was sweltering.

 

“S-shit…Abby…that stuff’s strong…I can’t…I feel…” he could barely breathe, and a numbness was flowing through him all over. His eyeballs nearly rolled back into his head. 

 

“Damn it…hang on, Abby’s got you,” she said, whipping out her communicator and calling for TND backup. She sat on her knees and pulled Maurice into her lap as she continued to hold him.His breathing was labored and she tried to pat away his sweat as he gripped her hand tightly.

 

“Hang in there Maurice, stay with me…” she whispered.The kids had started come back over to check on their savior, when Abby flipped her visor down and urged them to take shelter while they waited for backup.They couldn’t know the TND operatives’ identities.Still, the children knew they were indebted to the teen officers who had saved their lives.

 

Abby just hoped the paramedics would be able to help Maurice.

 

And she needed to find out what the hell Hoagie was up to.

* * *

 

Reviews are welcome!


	6. Dilemma

The incessant beeping of the machine in the room, while irritating as hell, was also somewhat welcome.

 

She sat at Maurice’s bedside, holding his hand—his free hand; the one that didn’t have an ivy stuck in it.He was conscious, but weak.He was pale and his skin was still a bit clammy, but he gave her a tired smile as he squeezed her hand.

 

“Hey, I-I’m okay, Abs.Really,” he whispered.She gave a scoff of a laugh,

 

“You’re not.”

 

“I am.”

 

“No, you’re not.And this…this shouldn’t have happened to you…”

 

“Hey, better me than those kids.Besides, the TND scientists work miracles; it could’ve been much worse.I’ll be up at at’em in no time, you’ll see.I always bounce back,” he said with a wink.She didn’t respond.

 

“Abby, you’re frowning.You keep it up and your face will freeze that way,” he said.She blinked at him before relaxing her features, allowing a small smile to grace her lips.She sighed.

 

“S-sorry, it’s just…” she ran her free hand over her head, random strands of her hair haphazardly following her fingers’ wake.The rest of her hair now hung at her back in a loose ponytail. 

 

“It’s fine.You’ll figure it out.You always do,” he said.She grinned a bit brighter at that.

 

“You always keep my head straight.”

 

“Someone has to.Though I wish ya paid me extra for it.”

 

“Abby doesn’t pay you at all.”

 

“Even worse; I feel my services aren’t appreciated,” he said with a mock pout.They both laughed.It was then that they heard a knock at the window.Glancing up, they saw Infinity there, staring at them.Abby frowned again.

 

“Don’t kill him,” Maurice said.

 

“Oh, Abby won’t kill him.But when she’s done with him he’ll wish she had,” Abby said coldly, standing and putting her cap on her head.She patted Maurice’s hand once more before making her way out of his room.Back at the scene, one might’ve thought that they would’ve called the paramedics.However, the TND Ops knew they’d run the risk of blowing the agency’s cover in explaining how Maurice, a football-player with no priors and a clean record, randomly came in contact with a heavy dose of toxic drugs. …Luckily, their scientists were actually ahead of the game when it came to antidotes; after all, they had to be to get their operatives back on the field more quickly.They had also tended to the children’s injuries, physical and psychological, before sending them on their way as well.

 

Of course, the thought crossed Abby’s mind that while they could run interference in keeping Maurice’s record clean, Hoagie wouldn’t be so lucky.If he somehow got mixed up with drugs, he wouldn’t be afforded the same luxury as Maurice…because he wasn’t a TND operative.…He’d be at the mercy of the system unless Abby did something first, and she was going to make sure they’re first-in-command knew that she wasn’t backing down.

 

“Fuck!How the hell did we let it get this far, Infinity?!That was too damn close!” she spat lowly, arms folded.He stood there with his arms behind his back and said nothing.

 

“Those kids!Their immune systems aren’t as strong as the rest of us!Things could’ve gone south really quickly if we hadn’t been there and even if we had the antidote for them, who’s to say their bodies’ could’ve withstood it?!” she continued.

 

“Well, it’s a good thing we were there then, wasn’t it?” he said, with a smug smile.It pissed her off.Did he think this was a joke?

 

“Cut the bullshit!Why didn’t we do something _sooner_?!And where were the police?!”

 

“I told you, Numbuh Five, conflict of interest.We’re obligated not to interfere in any of their potential ongoing operations or investigations.”

 

“So we risk kids having a drug overdose or getting killed from it?!The Six Gum Gang was trying to inject drugs into CANDY and CEREAL!And they were going to mass produce it and disseminate it!How long were the authorities going to let them get away with that?!And how did they plan on stopping them?!”

 

“That’s classified, Abby.”

 

“OH!Oh, my apologies, of course that’s a valid excuse!Like how the GKND was classified?!Nigel was almost traumatized and had his life wrecked before you all explained what the hell was going on to him and the rest of us!But THIS???Maurice got hit, those kids could’ve gotten hit, and now one of my BEST FRIENDS might be their next victim?Hoagie Gilligan?!Remember him?!2x4 genius engineer and fighter-pilot of the KND?!You guys knew and after all he’s done for us, you’re just going to let him waltz right into their trap?!You’re nuts if you think I’m just gonna sit back and do nothing!” by this point, she had strolled up to Infinity and was poking him in the chest.

 

“Numbuh Five!Your oath to the TND requires that you play it by the books.Going rogue is forbidden.You and Numbuh Nine saved a lot of lives today, but any further interference beyond your duties could jeopardize…”

 

“Not any worse than what’s currently going on!” she said, turning and preparing to storm back into Maurice’s room. 

 

“You’ll be terminated as a TND operative.”

 

“I don’t care!” she shouted, her hand was on the doorknob when Infinity’s voice rang out.

 

“It’ll be a _federal offense_ ,” he said coldly.And she froze, eyes going wide, hand tightly gripping the knob.

 

“Acting beyond the scope of your duties will compromise the police force’s investigation, and may actually do more harm than good for Hoagie.It’ll go on your permanent record.You’ll go to jail, and we won’t be able to help you—not even to negotiate on your behalf.Once the authorities get involved, we’ll be blocked out.And once you’ve served your time, re-acclimating to society will be… _difficult_ ,” he said, practically hissing out the last word.“Some things are even beyond the TND’s control.”Abby grit her teeth, clenching her jaw as her hand tightened on the doorknob.

 

A beat.

 

“Damn-it, this isn’t right Infinity and you know it,” she said lowly.

 

“There’s only so much we can do, Abigail.What you choose to do now is of your own volition, but you may end up causing more harm than good for Hoagie.I know you’re upset, but I caution you to choose wisely.…We can’t afford to lose you.” he said.There was another pause, and she didn’t reply as she opened the door to Maurice’s room and walked inside.He glanced up at her, worry in his eyes as she quietly closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it. 

 

The walls weren’t soundproof.He’d heard everything, and he knew that Hoagie was in trouble from a conversation he’d had with Abby earlier, about what Lunk had told her.Abby was dead-set on doing whatever she could on Hoagie’s and the children’s behalf, and originally intended on going to the cops to call them out on how dangerous their plan was.But it seemed like that idea was out of the window now.His heart went out to her when he heard a choked gasp and saw her lean her head back against the door.She sniffled and grit her teeth as she tried to fight back her tears, her cheeks growing hot.Hoagie was one of her best friends…this…she couldn’t let this happen.How was she supposed to just stand back and do nothing?Maurice’s own fists clenched the sheets.

 

“Hey,” he called.She looked over at him and he reached a hand out toward her.She wiped away the tears that started to well up in her eyes with a fist and approached him, sitting at his bedside once more.He grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

 

“Do whatever you can to save him.You got this,” he said, fixing her with a steady gaze, his voice solid.Her eyes grew wide.Then, she gave a weak smile before leaning forward to gently wrap her arms around him.

 

“Thank you, Maurice.”

* * *

Reviews are welcome.


	7. Done Deal

Later that same night, Hoagie laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling.He took a deep breath and sighed, resolving that getting the drugs for Ciara by now was no doubt a lost cause.He hadn’t heard anything from anyone in a week.That said, he was prepared to meet her at school that Monday to tell her he’d failed, and profusely apologize for wasting her time.He should’ve known it wasn’t meant to be.

 

_It hadn’t been destiny with Cree either.He’d had the worst luck with women._

 

He sat up, ready to head to the bathroom to wash up for the night when his phone pinged.A text.Swiping his thumb across the screen to unlock his pattern code, he clicked on the notification.

 

-Meet me at the treehouse. –W.

 

It was from Wally?At 9 PM?What’d he want this late?Hoagie groaned and rubbed his hand over his face.They only went to the treehouse whenever they were feeling particularly contemplative or nostalgic.For some reason, Nigel’s family never tore it down from when they were kids…not that the older Sector V minded.They didn’t remember any of their KND adventures anyway, but they remembered having plenty of sleep overs in that treehouse as they grew up.

 

…so why the hell did Wally want Hoagie to meet him there now?

 

30 minutes later found the lean teenager climbing the thick wood that had been nailed to the trunk of the tree as steps for a makeshift ladder.It was dangerous, as the planks could give away at any time.But he took the risk anyway.Honestly, they all had been too lazy to fix the plank steps as time went on.Upon reaching the platform of the entry-way, he noticed the silhouette of Wally’s figure leaning against a frame and looking out of an enormous opening that took up the expanse of where wall might’ve been.Hoagie lifted himself up with his arms and pulled his knees up onto the platform before standing straight and approaching his friend.

 

“You remember when we used to trade Yipper cards and play videogames like crazy up here?For hours until the sun went down?” Wally asked, his voice low.Hoagie chuckled as he approached him.

 

“How can I forget?...Seems like it was ages ago.”

 

“And just yesterday at the same time.”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

“I remembah my dad tellin’ me not to grow up too fast.I didn’t know what he meant then,” he turned and looked at Hoagie, giving a nervous smile before facing him fully.His hands were shoved his the pockets of his hoodie.

 

“We didn’t have to worry about stuff so much when we were kids…” he frowned.A pause.“Hoagie, I’ma ask ya once more mate.Are you sure this girl is worth it?”Hoagie’s eyes grew wide.

 

“Ah…I…?”

 

There was silence where neither one said anything.Both were stiff as boards.Hoagie pressed his lips together and nodded.Wally sighed, clutching the ziplock baggie in his hoodie pocket before pulling it out.

 

“Listen, you don’t tell no one about this, you hear me?” he asked.Hoagie’s eyes grew wider, if possible, and his head nodded even more rapidly.

 

“I’m serious!I don’t exactly feel comfortable givin’ this to ya but….you’re mah best friend and….I…trust your judgment.

 

“Wally I….I don’t know what ta say man, I….” he was speechless and swallowed.“Ah….h-how much…?” he asked.Wally waved him off.

 

“Don’t worry about it, mate.It got you.Just…take it and be careful.”

 

“W-wally…I…t-thank…”

 

“Don’t thank me.Just get outta here and…go get your girl,” Wally said, flushing in embarrassment now.He knew that he’d do anything to impress Kuki if he were in the same boat.In the end, this was Hoagie’s decision but honestly, Wally had been conflicted all night.

 

When Wally had gotten the call from Lunk about the deal going down, he immediately declared that he’d make the transaction.He didn’t trust Lunk or Ernest to do it.Hoagie was his best friend and while he didn’t agree with what he was doing, Wally would rather it not be made worse by people who would’ve had it out for the naïve teen.He wanted to do whatever he could to keep this as low-key and under the radar as possible.Hoagie hesitated before reaching out to take the baggy.There were some little green nuggets inside.He glanced up at Wally questioningly.The shorter teen shrugged.

 

“They’re supposed to look like that,” he said.Hoagie raised an eyebrow and Wally flushed even more,

 

“D-don’t ask me how I know!J-just get outta here, huh?!….And don’t mention anything to me about it come Monday, ya hear?Or the girls,” he said, walking forward and shoving his way past his best friend.He had to get out of there. His stomach was churning and he was already regretting this decision.Hoagie reached out and grabbed Wally’s wrist as he was walking by, and the Aussie turned back to glance at him.Neither one said anything, but then they didn’t need too.Hoagie gave a small smile before releasing the shorter boy.Wally shifted on his feet a bit nervously before flipping his hoodie up, shoving his hands in his pockets and briskly heading for entryway again.Hoagie stared after him as Wally rapidly made his way out of the door of the treehouse, then looked down at the baggy.Taking a breath, he reached into his pocket and took out his phone.He immediately pulled up Ciara’s contact.

 

_-I got it for you._

 

A 3 minute wait.He grew nervous.

 

_-XO cool!_

 

_\- U want it now?_

 

This time, a 5 minute wait.He furrowed his eyebrows in apprehensively, slightly tightening his grip on the warm device in his palm.

 

_-C u at school_

 

He sighed, walking backwards until he felt his back hit the flat surface of a wall.He slowly slide down it staring blankly at his phone.

 

….there was no turning back now.

* * *

 

Reviews are welcome!


	8. Revelation

Cree stared at her phone in disbelief.

 

_-I got it for you._

 

 _He…he got it?_ Honestly, she hadn’t thought he’d be able to pull it off. As the week went by, she had assumed…thought she’d be in the clear with… …No, she was actually hoping he wouldn’t.Not because of their deal but because….that would’ve meant that he actually did _have_ connections.

 

….Hoagie P. Gilligan…had connections…with drug dealers…at McClintok High School. …And, may have been one himself.To be honest, she’d been hoping she was wrong.

 

…She realized she hadn’t responded and quickly typed out a reply on her phone.

 

_-XO cool!_

 

_-U want it now?_

 

He was so quick to get rid of it?She wasn’t surprised.But if she’d asked him to meet him now, which she had no doubt he would, that’d defeat the whole purpose of her mission.No, the transaction had to happen on school property for her to get him.She froze as she saw Abby sleepily walk past her door, heading to the bathroom in her royal blue robe and red slippers.She looked so exhausted.Apparently, her latest TND mission that night had been a doozy and the younger girl had come home with a throbbing headache and bloodshot eyes.Cree’s heart went out to her sister, but such a strong wall had been built between them, she couldn’t afford to show that she cared. _Even though she did._

 

No, she couldn’t tell Abby.The girl would be in denial, crushed, conflicted, and probably beg Cree not to take him down.But…she deserved to know, right?Know that her friend wasn’t as pure and innocent as she thought?And really, Abby should thank her for revealing Hoagie’s true colors….if she opted to tell.

 

Damn it.She bit her lip and ran a hand through her hair.Then looked down at the phone.It was going on four minutes since Hoagie’s message.She sighed.The woman still had an assignment to complete.

 

_-C u at school._

 

Abby would just have to suck it up once she found out the truth.

 

\----

 

She found out the next day.Early in the morning, the two siblings were silently making breakfast in the kitchen.You could cut the tension with a knife.Cree was brewing some coffee and Abby was eating bacon and eggs at the table.Cree was still in her robe, as she usually rolled into school whenever she felt like it.The girl had been looking at her phone while she was at the coffee machine when suddenly she froze.

 

“Shit! Damn it, Aunt Flo!” she whispered under her breath.With that, she rushed out of the room.Abby couldn’t stop the snicker that escaped her lips and struggled not to have the orange juice she was drinking squirt out her nose.It was funny the way Cree scrambled out of the kitchen!No matter how badass Cree may have thought she was, even she was victim to the accursed ‘Time of the Month.;

 

Shaking her head, Abby stood and idly made her way to Cree’s phone, wondering what she had been laughing about earlier.Cree hadn’t locked her phone before she ran out, so her Youtube app was still up.Abby ran her thumb over the button at the bottom of the phone, just on the outside edge of the screen, to see what other apps Cree had open.

 

She noticed her messages window.

 

She saw ‘Sandwich Boy’ as the most recent contact.

 

She clicked on it, j _ust mildly interested_ she told herself…

 

And she blanched.

 

“ _….Oh, Hoagie…._ ” She whispered, heart clenching.It was then that the doorbell rang.Abby looked up at the microwave.It was right around the time Hoagie usually stopped by for them to walk to school together.

 

She felt her stomach turn.

 

\---

“Goooood morning, beautiful!” he, removing his hat and bowing at the open door.The boy was walking on air; today was going to be the day! He was going to make Ciara his girl and no one could rain on his parade.He stood straight and put his hat back on his head, only to see his best friend with her arms folded, hugged close to her torso.She was looking down as she leaned against the doorway.He furrowed his eyebrow in worry.

 

“Hey, Abby, you okay?What’s the matter?” he asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder.She flinched before sighing and shaking her head.

 

“Nothing.Ah…Guess Abby just didn’t get enough sleep last night,” she said with a weak smile.He returned it, reaching up to touch her cheek.

 

“Geeze.You shouldn’t overwork yourself so much, ya know?Those bags do nothing for your complexion,” he said.And she cracked a laugh and mentally sighed.The Hoagie she knew was so warm-hearted and funny; awkward but kind.Smart.A good kid. Why the hell was he throwing this all away for _Ciara_?

 

He didn’t remember.But she did—ALL of it.

 

She remembered him swooping down like Tarzan and saving her from walking the plank off of Sticky Beard’s ship.

 

She remember the two of them taking on Henrich Van Marzipan together and saving Mr. Fluffleupagus, the bunny, for Ghallager Elementary’s first graders.

 

She remembered saving him at the circus, and how he bonded with her dad over jokes afterwards.

 

She remembered the two of them teasing Wally about his crush on Kuki….constantly.

 

She remembered smacking him with her hat every time he made dumb jokes…which she secretly loved.

 

She remembered how light on his feet he was when they were kids, and how he’d tossed her this way and that on the dance floor at one of the Delightful Children’s parties.

 

She remembered him always being worried about her during missions—always looking out for her, even though she could take care of herself.She remembered how he’d cry out for her in distress when he saw she was in danger.

 

She remembered him and Nigel coming to look after her when she was sick…and how he checked on her a couple of more times than Nigel did—making sure she had enough tissues, enough chicken soup, enough medicine, that her pillow was fluffed, and that she was warm.

 

_“Ugh…you and Nigel don’t have to be here ya know…”_

 

_“Please.We’d fall apart without you so we have to make sure you’re okay.”He placed his palm against her forehead._

 

_“You….are okay, right?”_

 

_“Yeah.Yeah, I’ll be fine.Thanks Hoagie.”_

 

 _“Sigh, what would you do without me?”_ he’d joked with a wink.He’d graced her with a warm smile that gave her butterflies, much like the one he was wearing now as he swiftly brushed his thumb against her cheek.It was just for an instant, and he pulled his hand back, but it reminded her of how big his heart he really was.She brought herself out of her reverie.This was her last chance to stop this before it went too far.Hoagie furrowed his eyebrows.

 

“You sure you okay, Abs?” he asked.She sighed.It was now or never, even though she knew she was most likely risking their friendship.After all, he was so smitten.She glanced back into her house.Cree was still in the bathroom.She looked at Hoagie and held up Cree’s cell phone.

 

“You want to explain this?” she asked, quietly.Hoagie’s eyes grew wide as he zero’d in on the chat bubbles of conversation between him and Ciara from the night before.He frowned,

 

“Where…how’d you get this?Did…did you steal Ciara’s phone?” he asked, making a grab for it.Abby shot her hand up, out of his reach.

 

“It doesn’t matter how I got it!What the hell are you doing getting weed for her?Have you you’re your damn mind?!!What’s wrong with you?!”

 

“I can’t believe this.This has NOTHING to do with you, Abby!”

 

“It has EVERYTHING to do with me!You’re one of my _best_ friends!Abby’s supposed to just stand back and watch you hang yourself?! And not do anything about it?!”

 

“Y-you…you’re just…just jealous!” he cried.She gaped and sputtered.

 

“ _E-excuse me?!”_

 

“You heard me!Why else would you go as far as to steal her phone and go snooping for my texts to her?!” he asked, reaching for the phone again.Abby held him back.

 

“Damn-it!Hoagie, forget about the fucking PHONE for two seconds!Do you not realize what you’re getting yourself into?!”

 

“Oh for—it’s not like I’M doing the drugs, Abby, okay?And frankly, if I wanted your opinion I would’ve asked for it!I don’t need your permission!”

 

“Hoagie, if you do this you can’t take it back.And if you get caught you can’t…”

 

“I’m aware of all that, okay?!Just…why can’t you just support me?!”

 

“I ALWAYS support you!That’s why I can’t let you go through with this!Look, I’ve given you advice for every other girl that you’ve had a crush on except for when they’ve been bad news, and this girl is BAD NEWS.Haven’t I always been truthful and kept it real with you?!Why can’t you see that now?!What do I have to do to knock some sense into you?!”

 

“Abby, this isn’t a big deal!It’s just a little baggy that I’m going to give to her and that’s it.Nothing more, nothing less, nothing’s gonna happen!So just…just let it go and stay out of my business!” he cried, lunging forward and grabbing the phone.With that, he turned around and stormed off.Abby stared after him, shoulders drooping.

 

She there wasn’t anything else she could do.She couldn’t tell Cree she knew, what would be the point?And Hoagie was dead set on this.He was so whipped he couldn’t see what was really happening, and she couldn’t persuade him to not go through with it.And Abby couldn’t go to the police lest she interfered with their investigation.

 

…she was done. 

* * *

 

Reviews are welcome!


	9. The Money

_-I got it for you._

 

_-XO cool!_

 

_\- U want it now?_

 

_-C u at school_

 

 

 

Despite his earlier argument with Abby, and the warning bells ringing like fire alarms in his head, Hoagie still brought the rolled up baggy of marijuana to school for Ciara.

 

“ _Oh my god…I’m actually going to do this_ …” how real the hand-off would be was starting to sink in.He was staring at himself in the bathroom mirror before class, trying to prep himself for what was going to go down today.…It was fine.After he gave Ciara the bag, everything would be cool.He’d have won her heart, she’d go to prom with him, and it’d all be over.Then they could be happy together.The teen turned on the faucet of cold water and cupped his hands underneath before pressing his face into the cool liquid.He splashed himself a couple of more times before taking a deep breath.It was now or never.

 

Cree typically always rolled into class on her own time, fairly late in the morning.But for some reason, she was a little bit earlier today.As Hoagie made his way to class from the bathroom, he came in and saw her standing, frantically digging around in her backpack at her desk.Abby, surprisingly, had abandoned her usual seat behind Ciara and was at the far back of the classroom.So was Wally, but he was asleep.Abby and Hoagie made brief eye contact before Abby quickly looked down at her notebook, tightly gripping her pen as her face flushed heatedly from their earlier fight.Hoagie rolled his eyes before sitting next to Ciara, just as she took her seat.

 

“Uh…morning C,” he tried.But she was still occupied with digging around in her bag.

 

“Huh?Oh, hey Hoagie,” she muttered, absently.

 

“What are you looking for?”

 

“My phone…I can’t find it!I could’ve sworn—“ she wondered if she’d put it in her bag that morning.She thought she’d left it on the counter in the kitchen, but couldn’t find it before she headed to school.Second-guessing herself, she wondered if she’d shoved it in her bag at some point without thinking.Hoagie rubbed the back of his neck nervously before reaching in to his pocket and handing her the missing cellphone.Her eyes grew wide.

 

“H-how did you—???”she was immensely confused.

 

“Ah…yeah.Sorry.S-somehow Abby got a hold of it.Maybe you left it nearby in class or at lunch somewhere or something and she grabbed it.But, I got it from her this morning so…”

 

 _I got it from her this morning._ That meant she knew.Cree bit her bottom lip and struggled to keep from looking back at her sister, who she noticed went out of her way to sit as far away from Cree as possible.

 

“Ah…wow.T-thanks Gilligan.I….I’m not sure how she got it.I’ll…have to talk with her about it later,” she said quietly, shoving the phone her bag.Hoagie shrugged and nodded.They were silent for a bit as they tried to focus on the hustle and bustling noise of their classmates.Class was supposed to start in ten minutes.Butterflies were in Hoagie’s stomach, Cree took a deep breath.She needed to get this over with now before she lost her nerves.She whispered.

 

“Hoagie….listen, do you have it?” he stiffened and swallowed.

 

“Ah…y-yeah, I do,” his eyes frantically went to the door, then to the clock.Ten minutes that’s how long they had before the teacher came in. But there was so much going on now, he was losing his nerve.

 

“Ah….y-you know what?Let’s wait a bit,” he said, nervous about accidentally draw attention to the two of them.That, and he needed more time to mentally prep for this. And so, they waited for about five minutes.After that, Cree had had enough.

 

“Okay.Look, here, just…just put it in my purse,” she said, sliding her bag over closer to Hoagie with her foot.Hoagie stared at the bag before taking a deep breath, reaching into his hoodie pocket, and sliding the drugs into her purse.Cree then picked up her handbag and dug around in it for a bit before pulling out a wad of cash.She set her purse back on the floor and handed the bills to Hoagie.

 

“Okay good.Now here, take the money,” she said.And the sounds around them grew muffled in his ears.He could only hear his own heartbeat.The teen narrowed his eyes in confusion.

 

_What??_

 

He stared at the cash and Cree frowned.What was he waiting for?

 

“Hoagie!Whatsa matter?Take the money!” she waved the bills toward him. Hoagie glanced up, looking Cree in the eyes.

 

“I-I don’t need…I don’t want your money, C.I didn’t get that to sell it to you, I just…I just got it for you because you asked for it,” he said.Her eyes grew wide,

 

“Hoagie…”No.No, no, no, it wasn’t supposed to happen this way.Damn it!She didn’t need him to be a saint now.She needed him to take the money to complete the deal so she could turn in him!

 

“Hoagie, listen to me.Please just take the money.”

 

“No!I just did this to show that I’d come through for you whenever you need me, that’s all.”

 

“And you did.You really did come through for me, and I appreciate it!Truly!This was really sweet of you!But, but you’ve gotta take this Hoagie, it’s only right.I-I don’t feel comfortable that you did this for me for free.I-I have to pay you, so just…take it.”

 

“No.’

 

“Hoagie!C’mon!”

 

“No, Ciara!”

 

“Gilligan!You’re making me feel guilty; stop being stubborn!”

 

“I don’t want it!I told you, I didn’t do it for the money, I just did it for you!”

 

“I understand, but that’s STILL not RIGHT!Please, just, stop being an idiot and take this before the teacher comes in and we’re both busted!” she said through grit teeth. Her eyes cut up to the clock, then the door.They had about two minutes before the teacher showed up.Hoagie reached out and placed his hand on top of hers, on top of the fist with the money.

 

“Ciara.Listen to me.I don’t want you to feel like you EVER owe me anything, okay?I just…I wanted to show you that I’ll always be there for you.Any time…because you…” he was leaning in way too close for her liking.

 

“H-hoagie, wha—what are you—??!!”

 

“You…you’re amazing….” With that, he leaned forward, and gently pressed his lips against her own.Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. 

 

N-nononono…he wasn’t…this wasn’t supposed to…wait…she refocused her brain and opened her eyes.His were closed.His hand was still covering hers.She just needed to get him to take the money; that was it.That was the only way she could completely her assignment.Otherwise, this would all have been for nothing!Slyly, she turned her palm upward and used her other hand to close Hoagie’s fingers around the bills.Then somehow, after several seconds, she was able to maneuver her hands away from his own, but in a fashion that left him clutching the wad of cash tightly in his palm. 

 

When Hoagie finally pulled away, there was a day-dreamy look in his eyes.Cree flushed and hunched over, turning her head and bowing it so that her hair covered her face. 

 

She couldn’t look him in the eyes.

* * *

Reviews are welcome!

 

 

 


	10. Busted

_-Everybody who sold drugs to undercover cops is busted!-_  
  


 

  
  
Hoagie would later find out selling marijuana was a felony and that the penalty for selling it on school property was harsher than selling it off campus.He’d made an irreversibly bad decision and since he was over 18, he was legally an adult when he made it.

 

In other words, he was screwed.

 

But he wouldn’t realize this early the next month, May.Prom was the following Friday, and Hoagie hadn’t heard from Ciara since he’d kissed her. 

 

That had been about a fortnight ago.

 

She’d stopped coming to school.

 

Didn’t answer his calls.

 

Didn’t answer his texts. 

 

She was completely snubbing him, and he was devastated—a mere shell of his former self.

 

Hoagie had lost his pep, stopped telling jokes, his eyes were red and he’d been dragging himself rather sluggishly to class ever since, almost missing over half of a period at times and turning his homework in late.His grades had slipped even further as well, to where he was cranking out Cs and even a couple of C-minuses on his work. He was in the home-stretch of the school year, and on a downhill slope.

 

At present, he and his friends were at lunch as Hoagie pushed around the mashed potatoes and peas on his tray.

 

“Ah, that sheilah wasn’t no good for ya anyway mate!Forget about her!”

 

“Wally’s right!There was something off about her, anyway!You know, I never really liked her!” Kuki agreed.

 

“Hey!You guys aren’t helping.” Abby chided.Hoagie needed their support right now, not admonishment for being smitten with by a snake…(even if that snake was her own flesh and blood).

 

“No….no they’re right,” he sighed. Then gave her a forlorn look, “…You…you were right, Abby.You always are,” the right corner of his lips quirked up a little. “I-I should’ve known better.I should’ve listened to you.You were…just trying to look out for me…as always… and…I was a jackass.I-I’m sorry…” he asked, giving her a puppy-dog pout..Abby’s breath caught in her chest, her heart skipped a beat.How’d he always have this way making her weak-kneed?She gave a smirk.

 

“Yeah well….Abby wouldn’t say you were a jackass….you were just…in love…”

 

“Yeah, but I was a jackass in love.”

 

“Well….when you put it that way—”

 

**BOOM!!!**

 

 **“EVERYONE FREEZE!!Get on the ground, now!I SAID, GET. ON. THE. GROUND.”** Several voices echoed.

 

“What-the…”

 

“DON’T MAKE US ASK TWICE, HURRY UP AND GET DOWN, ALL OF YOU!” There was suddenly a rush of confusion as an avalanche of black boots, shields, and batons cascaded like a stone tidal ave throughout the cafeteria, grabbing kids by collars and slinging them to the floor.Students were screaming, high pitched wails pierced the air as some tried to get away, only to be handled even more roughly by the overpowering S.W.A.T. team.

 

“AHHH, WALLY!” Kuki screamed.

 

“HEY, GET YOUR HANDS OFFA HER!”

 

“On the ground, BOTH OF YOU! AND YOU. AGAINST THE WALL!” Hoagie felt himself yanked up and slung against the concrete wall of the cafeteria, bashing his nose.

 

“O-OW, HEY!”

 

“Well, well…as I thought! Hoagie P. Gilligan, you’re under arrest for selling pot to an undercover cop.”

 

“WHAT?!!BUT I, I DIDN’T…I NEVER—H-HUH?!”

 

“Save it for the judge, kid!Keep your hands against that wall and spread’em! Don’t move!”

 

“Hoagie!” Abby cried, from her spot on the ground next to Kuki and Wally.

 

“CRUD. GET OFFA ME AND LEAVE MAH MATES ALONE!”

 

“EY!SHADDUP, AND STAY DOWN, PIPSQUEAK!” The cop said,pressing his knee in Wally’s back. “Wally Beetles?!We recognize you too!Don’t make this worse, kid!”

 

Damn it…Abby hadn’t expected Cree to act so quickly!

 

 

——-

 

The police ended up arresting over 31 students who had sold drugs to undercover cops at several schools in the district, and Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr. had been one of them.

 

“So, where’s Wally?And Kuki?”

 

“Well…Kuki’s in the waitin’ area outside with some of the others. Clean as a whistle.She’s a bit bruised up, but she’s got no priors and they had nothing on her, so theylet her go.Wally’s in some other conference room down the hall; I think Kooks is waitin’ for’m.They said he’s got some pick-pocketing offenses, but I think they’re going to let him go too.”

 

“I’m not surprised.”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

“You—“

 

“Heh, I can’t believe I fucked up,” he said. She glanced up at him from her place against the opposite wall as he started to tear up.

 

“I mean…I knew what I was doing was wrong but…I dunno, I thought it’d iron itself out, ya know?And…UGH!” He ran his hands over his face before banging his forehead on the table with a loud thump. “This is…some really messed up shit.I…you- you know I was gonna join the Air Force after high school?”

 

She sighed. Of course she knew. Everyone knew. He loved the skies and they all had expected him to become a great pilot one day, just like his old man. It was in his blood.

 

“But…I’m not even mad about that…I mean I am but…i-it’s just…Ciara…I don’t understand.W-who is she, really?!And why would she do this?Where is she?!” he sat up and threw his hands out to the side wildly. “She couldn’t have just disappeared!W-what happened?!It’s like she never existed…?She doesn’t have the gall to explain things to my face?!” he clenched one of his fists, banged it on the table and bowed his head. A free hand ran through his hair in agitation before he balled it up and repeatedly hit his forehead.

 

“I never even thought that she would……damnit, what was wrong with me?!!!”Abby said nothing.She simply walked forward and pulled one of the chairs from the opposite side of the table, dragging it over to the distressed teen.The sound of the legs scraping squeakily against the floor echoed against the walls, only heightening the sound of his shaky breaths.

 

She sat next to him, placed a hand atop his head and pulled him over to her shoulder as she embraced him.

 

“It’s- it’s okay Hoagie ….Abby’s got you. …I’ve got you,” she said, fighting back her own tears.

 

He didn’t deserve this. And she knew that her sister, who was just outside of the room watching through the two-way mirror knew that as well.

 

—-

 

“Nice work, Cree. You’ll no doubt get a promotion for this,” her chief said.She sighed a blew out a ring of smoke from the cigarette in her fingers. Her own eyes bloodshot.

 

“Yeah…” her eyes zeroed in on the broken boy wrapped in her sisters arms, _“They’re kids you remember.The ones that you think about after you’re gone…”_

 

Abby glared daggers at the mirror before sighing and tightening her grip on her friend.

 

_“I’m sorry Hoagie.…I’m so sorry….”_

* * *

 

Reviews are welcome!


	11. Ultimatum

 

He spent a week in jail wondering what would happen next.

 

He knew there was no out for him. His phone had been confiscated as evidence and the cops had all of his text conversations with Ciara…including when he’d told her he’d had the drugs.

 

“Hoagie…crud, shit man.This is all my fault I…I’m sorry. I’ll turn myself in…I have too…” Wally said. He was talking to Hoagie through a phone, his only means of communicating through the otherwise somewhat sound-proof, glass partition between them.

 

“NO! No, don’t…it’s not worth…I mean, you were gonna ask Kuki to marry you at tonight prom, right? You can’t throw that away, man!” Hoagie said, with a weak smile.

 

“Well…yeah mate but, what’s the point if I can’t have my best friend as my best man…? A-and it won’t be the same without you there! Plus this is **_killing_** me!I can’t eat, can’t sleep! I—” Wally’s voice shaking now as he was starting to tear up.He didn’t think it’d get this out of control. Now his best friend was in sing-sing and it was _all his fault_.

 

“Hey….c’mon, I’ll-I’ll be there in spirit.But I’m not gonna let you flush away your future before it even starts like I did. You’ve still got a bright road ahead of you.”

 

“Pft.Yeah right…”

 

“No, really. Wally, you’re not some dense blockhead whose all muscle.You’re smart, way smarter than you give yourself credit for.We all see it.You’ve gotta see where you can take yourself and I’m not gonna let you ruin that,” Hoagie said.It shouldn’t be both of them stuck in there.

 

“But I can’t…I won’t be able to live with myself if you take all the blame for this. I gave…”

 

“NO!”…Hoagie knew _they_ were most likely listening in on these calls. “Listen to me.I refuse to have you go down for this.You-you gave me damn good advice and I didn’t listen.And…and that’s all on me, you hear me?You’re my best friend…I won’t have you payin’ for my mistake.Just…take care of Kuki.And my mom and brother for me…and Abby too…”

 

Wally bit his lip, still feeling like he was gonna hurl any minute.

 

“….I was gonna ask her to prom you know,” Hoagie whispered.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Abby….before I even saw Ciara.I was planning to ask her but…I didn’t think I had a shot.So I went for the girl I knew nothing about because I was too scared of the one who knew everything about me.”

 

“Are youcruddy kiddin’ me?! She totally would’ve said yes! She’s been nuts about you since like seventh grade!”

 

“HA! Yeah right!”

 

“No, really!”

 

“I’ll believe it when I see it.I’m a loser, she can do way better than me anyway…especially now,” Hoagie said, wiping some of his tears away.His friend stared at him through the glass window, placed his hand against his side of the pane.

 

“Hoagie…”

 

“I-I’ll be fine.You better get outta here, Kuki’s waiting for ya,” Hoagie said, just as one of the guards came up to cut the conversation.

 

Visiting hours were over.

 

The guard yanked Hoagie up by his arm before dragging him back to his holding cell.

 

Kuki had come by earlier.

 

And his mom and brother and had come by afterwards.That had hurt the most.His mom couldn’t stop crying. His brother, while he had pain in his eyes, also seemed convince that this was all a conspiracy and was committed to the idea of gathering his friends to bust Hoagie out later.Hoagie laughed and wave him off, trying to keep the guards from getting pissed at overhearing an overzealous kid with an escape plan.

 

Then Wally had come by.

 

But he hadn’t seen Abby all day, and still no sign of Ciara.

 

Now he was back in his cell by himself, and trying to figure out what was gonna become of him and his life.He sighed, thumping the back of his head against the concrete wall.His wrists were shackled together, as were his ankles.

 

…he had a headache.

 

…And this was not how he’d planned his prom night to turn out.

 

_He wouldn’t even get to see how Abby dazzled under the lights of the gymnasium._

 

 

Suddenly, there was a bright glare behind his eyes and he frowned, wondering if this was some new kind of intimidation procedure—brightening the lights in his room to punish him.But then, he heard a voice.

 

“Hoagie. Hoagie Pennywhistle Gilligan Jr.”It was an unfamiliar voice, yet one he felt like he’d heard before…maybe in a dream?He cracked one eye open, the other remained closed, and he saw a skinny teenager, much like himself, standing before him.

 

He screamed and jumped, falling off of his cot in surprise.

 

“AHH!W-WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE DID YOU?! H-HOW DID YOU?! Uh…g-GUARD GUYS!H-HELLO?! SOME RANDOM DUDE IS IN HERE.IF THIS IS A PRANK IT’S NOT FUNNY!”

 

“It’s not a prank, Hoagie. And this is no laughing matter.”

 

“T-then…what…a-am I dreaming?Who are you?”

 

“All in due time. I have a proposition for you,” the teen said.Hoagie took time to study the boy closely.The first thing he noticed, is that he was bald, with neon green sunglasses that had an red rem around them.He was also wearing a red and white sort of jumpsuit, but with a metallic look…almost space-like.Looking around, he also noticed his entire room was now practically white. The furniture that was previously in his cell, like his cot, was missing.

 

…Oh yeah.He had to be dreaming.

 

The boy before HIM then held up two suckers.

 

“Uh??”

 

“Feel free to choose a lollipop, Hoagie.But, this isn’t just any choice. If you take the cherry one, you’ll enjoy a nice, sweet lolly. Upon sucking your way to the gum core, you’ll forget everything I’m about to show you and you’ll return to your life as a….normal….teenager.Where you’ll have to face the consequences of your recent…mistakes. But, if you take the boysenberry, there’s no turning back. The sour, tangy taste will open your mind. You’ll see, what we see. And you’ll know, what we know.Your record will be expunged, as if nothing had ever happened. But, you can never return home. It’s your choice Hoagie….red….or blue?”

 

“Wait….is this like…the opening for some weird Matrix themed flash mob or something?Where are the rest of the guys who are in on this?” he asked, looking around.“Now I know I’m dreaming. Is this thing gonna air on ABC?”

 

“This ISN’T A GAME Hoagie!” the teen shouted, causing Hoagie to jerk back in surprise.Did this kid have anger management issues?His eyes grew wide as he look at the two pieces of candy, and he gulped.

 

“Uhh…n-neither?” he laughed nervously. The other boy frowned,

 

“That’s not an option.”

 

“Well, the choices aren’t very good!” Hoagie cried, throwing his hands up in dismay. “Is there a secret third option I don’t know about?Like one where you tell me what the HECK is going on so I can make an informed decision?!If I opt to make one at all…which I don’t!”

 

“….You were…being considered to join in a rather prestigious operation….until this whole mess with C-..er..Ciara went down.We then weren’t so sure if you were the best choice.But I vouched for you, and was told to present you with an ultimatum.”

 

“Woah, woah, woah…wait….how…can you vouch for me? I don’t even know you.”

 

“Look, we don’t have much time!You have to make a decision now. I’ve only got a few minutes left to remain here before I have to go back, and then I can never return to Earth.They made an exception for this moment.”

 

“Earth?What…so…are you saying you’re from outer space?!Oh man!Does NASA already know about you?”

 

“Red. Or. Blue.?”

 

“UGH!Again?!Look, you can’t just BARGE in here and expect me to choose without knowing what the hell is going on!”

 

“If you don’t make a decision now, one will be made for you!”

 

“But that’s not fair!So I can choose red where I stay and have to live out the rest of this fucked up mess; or chose blue and start over with a clean slate, but lose everyone I love and care about?!” He took a breath and fixed the other teen with a steady glare before continuing,

 

“Besides,…even if you won’t tell me who you are…you’re not even giving me a hint as to what it is you supposedly want me to sign up for.….I can’t make a decision this brash without all the facts. What if you’re asking me to join a league that goes around murdering cats or something? I can’t be a part of that in good conscience!” he said.The other boy raised an incredulous eyebrow at this.

 

“Murdering…cats?”Nigel repeated. Hoagie shrugged,

 

“How else would I know? Your not giving me anything to go on here.”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

The newcomer sighed.

 

“Alright.”He then shifted the two lollipops to his left hand before sticking his right index finger in his nose, extracting it and pulling out a good chuck of dried boogers.Hoagie cringed and leaned back, wishing he’d chosen the lollipops instead as the boy held out his hand for a handshake.

 

“Um…you’ve got…a little something…”

 

The boy rolled his eyes and grabbed Hoagie’s hand, which suddenly sucked all the breath out of him as he felt himself ensnared by some closed space and yanked by some invisible force of momentum.Ten seconds later, he was able to take a deep breath and to cough.

 

“W-WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?! Y-YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!!!”

 

“Hardly, that was a cake walk compared to some of what we really go through…” the boy said. Hoagie then looked around and notice he was in a cave filled with human and alien creatures of all shapes and sizes as they tinkered with computers and control panels.

 

Oh yeah…he was definitely dreaming.

 

No doubt any choice he made would have no affect on the real world at this point.His new companion began to walk down a beaten path and Hoagie followed him, taking everything in.

 

“Hoagie…let me ask you.Why did you agree to get drugs for Ciara, when you knew it was the wrong thing to do?” The boy asked.Hoagie frowned.How did he know about that?

 

“Um…I don’t…think it’s any of your business, really?”

 

“It goes to your character.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You’d betray a good cause for a pretty face?”

 

“NO!I just…” he froze and bit his lip.Did he have a good excuse…? “I….I felt like I knew her?Or…I thought I did…and I…was reaching for…something…that I thought was there but…wasn’t?I mean…” he sighed, it was complicated. “Look, if some random guy had came up to me asking for drugs, I would’ve said No. I would’ve told’m to get outta my face. I-I don’t hang out with people like that.I only did it for her.”

 

“Have you talked to her since all of this happened?”

 

“Pft.No, I’d love to.To be honest, I’d love to have that conversation. I don’t even know where she is.She could be off to Hoboken by now for all I know,” he pouted, folding his arms. Nigel had to fight back a smirk at that. Hoagie’s one-liners were still funny after all this time, even if it was unintentional.

 

“What would you ask her, if you could talk to her?”

 

“Well,” he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously “I-I’d just ask her….” he squinted his eyes in thought. “Why?….why she did it?A-and…why to me?She-she knew how I felt about her and… she strung me along like some puppy for a sick game.Who does that?! Why didn’t she just keep it real with me?! …UGGH!”

 

“So…why would you want to stay in a world where you’re reminded of your mistake every day?” The teen asked.Hoagie paused, the image of his family, his friends playing across his mind.He sighed,

 

“Because…it…it doesn’t seem like it’s worth losing _them, the people I love_. …And…running away from your problems is not what a man does…”

 

“Even if it’s for a better cause?”

 

…A better cause?He frowned and looked down, 

 

“Wha—what do you—?” There was a pause and Hoagie narrowed his eyes again before continuing, “Yeaaaah….about that!…A-anyway, you still haven’t answered my questions!What do you want with me?And what is this place?!” He shouted, mad at himself for caving so easily and talking about his personal business.

 

“…It’s your sanctuary, Hoagie.Or should I say, Numbuh Two?” He gasped and turned around.Abby was standing behind him in a sparkling blue, one piece pant-suit. Her hair hung in ringlets around her face as she smiled sadly at him.He felt his palms go sweaty, his heart skipping several beats.

 

“A-abby?Wait…what?What are you doing here?A-aren’t you..shouldn’t you be getting ready to go to the prom with Maurice?”

 

She approached him.

 

Infinity had been right.If Hoagie had gotten into trouble, which he had, it would’ve been beyond the scope of the TND for them to help…. _way beyond_. Maurice had reminded her that she just had to reach for the _right_ connections. 

 

Luck had been on her side that day that she’d somehow been able to miraculously contact Number Vine and Nigel, who had been tracking the whole thing.

 

“You know this place.You just don’t know it.But…you can trust this boy.Nigel Uno.He was one of our best friends growing up, before he was chosen to be part of a mission greater than we can comprehend. And he’s offering you that same chance….to escape and start over.”

 

“N-Nigel…who?I-I don’t understand…” Hoagie said.She took his hands.

 

“The lollipops will explain everything, Hoagie.But, you really don’t deserve what they’re putting you through. You-Abby thinks you should choose the blue one…” she bowed her head.Hoagie balked.

 

“W-what?!But…no…no, then…then I’ll never see you again! Or mom or Tommy. Or Wally or Kuki…but I can’t…I can’t bear the thought of not being…b-by your side anymore…” he swallowed thickly.

 

“You’ll be fine,” she tried to hold back the tears in her voice. “This is a chance to make something of yourself, like you’ve always wanted.”

 

“How?”

 

“You’d be saving kids…millions of kids…on a global scale…maybe even beyond.This is bigger than the Air Force, Numbuh Two.”

 

“Why do you keep calling me that?” He was a bit frantic now, tears coming to his eyes at the same rate as they danced in the hazel gems of his best friend. He was so confused, his brain muddled.If this was a dream, why did her hands feel soft and warm in his own.And why did he feel so scared, and unsure?She let out a forced laugh, bringing her thumbs up to wipe his face.

 

“Because, it’s who you are…”

 

“I-I-I don’t want to…”

 

“Hoagie…please. You’re making Wally better his future, why won’t you do the same for yourself?”

 

“Because…b-because….because y-you still owe me a Captain Time Space and the Continuum Binge-a-thon. You-you can’t weasel out of that!”

 

“I know…” she tapped his nose, which just made him break down and hug her tightly. Nigel then spoke up from his place at their side,

 

“Hoagie…listen to me.You have a choice, of joining a movement on an massive scale and truly making a difference in the lives of teens and kids everywhere. Or, staying where you are, not quite knowing how this crazy crap that’s happened will affect up your future.We’re offering you the chance of a lifetime,” Nigel said.

 

“…Can I…at least have one dance with you?” He whispered to Abby.

 

“You have to choose one of the suckers first.”

 

“T-that’s not fair.On the one hand, I’ll think this is all a dream.On the other, I’ll never see you again.And you want that?”

 

“Oh, Hoagie.Of course not.But I don’t want what C-Ciara put you through to ruin your life.You’re too good a person, and I refuse to let this stop you from soaring.Besides, I’ll always be here,” she said, leaning forward and pressing the gentlest of kisses to his lips.He stiffened before placing his hands on her waist, letting out a whimper as he kissed her back.

 

Ten seconds later found them both out of breath.

 

“I don’t want this to end…” Both suckers would explain everything.Both would take away something precious to him.Both were his saving grace and his curse.

 

“I-I just want to be with you…Please…tell me _what I’ve got to do to be with you_ …” he whispered.

 

She smiled at him sadly as Nigel approached and handed her the lollipops. She held them up before him, and held her breath.

 

“Abby…” her visage was blurring before him.

 

“Hoagie, Red or Blue?”

* * *

 

Reviews are welcome!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided to leave this as a cliff-hanger! I know, it may leave you all feeling a bit unsatisfied (Ha! Hamilton reference)!
> 
> Anyway, I know what I'd personally want Hoagie to do, but I was torn between if I should choose one option, write an alternate ending for both, or leave it up to the reader.
> 
> I tend to like letting the reader choose or have a say in the ending though. So if anyone has unique ideas on what they think would happen next, you're more than welcome to share them in reviews or in my inbox.
> 
> Anyway, the pacing for this was fairly quick. (I swear I spent much longer writing this)!
> 
> This was just a quick piece as a warm-up to get me back in the writing game. But I'm excited work on some other pieces I have as WIPs. So you'll be reading more from me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and I hope to hear from you!
> 
> -RikaReena


End file.
